Life by the Numbers
by gothina234
Summary: The BAU team has stopped many unsubs in their past. But what happens when the enemy is within you? One agent is going to find out. Co-writing with autumnamberleaves.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, everyone. Here is a new story for you all. This is going to be a Diabetic Reid story and I am going to be co-writing this story with the amazing autumnamberleaves. We'll be writing the chapters in turn but they will all be posted on this story and on my account. This is actually autumnamberleaves brain child and I am really looking forward to writing this with her. I've done the first chapter and she will be doing the next one. Enjoy and we both look forward to hearing from you all.  
**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

Reid moaned as his alarm blared next to his bed and blindly hit out at it till he hit the snooze button. He pulled his duvet further over his body and wanted to stay under it with the warmth that cradled his body. He had no choice but to move the covers away as he had the sudden urge to go to the bathroom. As he did his business, he struggled to shake off the heavy feeling of fatigue that was battling to rule his body. It seemed no matter what he tried, the feeling of needing another ten hours of sleep never went away and it was getting harder to hide it from the team. Reid washed his hands and then grabbed his toothbrush. A slight tremor came through his hand as he tried to put the toothpaste on the brush.

Reid put down the toothbrush and shook his hands. "Come on, Spencer. Hold it together."

**BAU**

Garcia walked into the bullpen to see Reid looking flustered as he tried to complete all his paperwork. She walked over and touched his shoulder. He tensed under her touch before bringing his hand through his hair.

"Reid, are you okay? You look a little out of sorts," she said before touching his cheek with the back of her hand.

He pushed his chair away and turned his head sharply to face her. "Garcia, you don't have the right to touch me whenever you want. You know I don't like people touching me," he snapped.

She brought her hand away and bit her lip. Reid had never spoken to her like that before and she couldn't stop the small ache in her heart from being snapped at like that. "I'm sorry."

Reid sighed and then dropped his pen. "I'm sorry for snapping at you, Garcia. I'm just tired and I really want to get this paperwork done. I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

"It's okay," she said shakily. "I'll just let you get back to your work."

Reid watched as she walked away and caught the sad look in her eyes. He didn't know what was wrong with him. Garcia was always pleasant to be around and he had never minded her touch before. Now, she was upset and it was because of him. She was the one person in the world he didn't want to upset. Slamming down his pen, he ignored the looks from his team and other fellow agents and made his way to the kitchen area. He took a bottle of cold water from the fridge and twisted off the cap. The water soothed his dry throat and quenched his ever growing thirst. Half the water in the bottle was gone before he lowered it away from lips. Morgan walked over to him and cornered him.

"What did you say to upset Garcia?" Morgan demanded. "I know when she is upset and I don't like seeing her upset. She was just checking to see if you're alright."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Reid huffed. "I don't need someone hovering over my shoulder every two seconds. I'm a thirty four year old man and I can take care of myself. I'm just trying to get my work done. Instead, I have everybody distracting me. Now, on top of everything, I'm in trouble for snapping at Garcia even though I apologised to her. I'm fine."

Morgan grabbed Reid's upper arm and led him into an empty room roughly. He locked the door and faced Reid. "You're not fine. You haven't been fine for the last few days and we have all noticed."

"Why is my life any of your concern?" Reid argued before opening the water bottle and gulping down some more water.

"Are you using again?" Morgan said calmly.

"Screw you, Morgan," Reid growled angrily before trying to leave the room. Morgan grabbed his arm and pushed him away from the door. "Morgan, let me out of the room."

"Not going to happen till you tell me the truth."

"I'm not using and I don't need you talking about it here. This is not the place and you know it."

"Why don't I believe you? You've been irritable, angry and you look like hell. There is no colour to your skin and you're not acting like yourself. Why are you drinking so much water?"

"I'm thirsty," Reid shouted before bringing his voice to a lower level. "It's not a crime to be thirsty."

Reid put the water bottle on the table and shoved up his sleeves before showing them to Morgan. "Are you happy now, Morgan? See, there is nothing there. I'm not lying and I have to get back to work."

He stormed out of the room after grabbing his water but had to stop when the world around him seemed to sway violently. The water bottle was crushed in his hand as he tightened his grip to try to keep himself from losing control. His skin became cooled as he leaned against the wall and took in deep breaths. Bringing the bottle back to his mouth, he swallowed some more water and managed to stop the world spinning in front of him.

* * *

**A few hours later**

As he washed his hands, he wondered what was wrong with him. This was his fifth visit to the men's room today and it was only one in the afternoon. The tremor in his hands had become worse and no matter what he tried, it never seemed to go away. The whole team had avoided him since his argument with Morgan. Looking up, he examined his reflection in the mirror and didn't see his usual self. His cheeks looked gaunt while his skin was pale and dry. Dark purple circles covered the bags under his eyes and made him look like a ghost.

Checking his figure in the mirror, he swore that he had lost weight and he knew it was weight that he couldn't afford to lose. His mother already thought he was too thin.

'I've been eating more than I usually do. Why am I losing weight?' he thought before dropping his arms to his side.

As much as he wanted to talk to the team, he still felt angry at them for presuming that he had turned back to drugs. After everything, he thought that they trusted him but it seemed he had been wrong. A few bad days and they had already turned on him. As he walked back into the bullpen, the world swayed again and he began to stumble backwards.

Two arms caught Reid and helped steady him. "Whoa, easy there, Reid," Emily said gently as she kept a tight hold on him.

Reid opened his eyes and tried to ignore the nausea that tried to overwhelm him. He heard Emily call for Hotch but couldn't focus on her words properly. A glass of water was placed against his lips and he drank greedily from it. The glass was taken away from his lips and he let out a small cough. Hotch and Emily came into focus as he found himself being led to Hotch's office. Emily lowered him to the couch and knelt in front of him.

"Reid, I think you're sick," Emily said as she put the glass back to his lips. As he drank, the world became a little clearer. Hotch sat next to Reid and examined his pale face.

"Could be the flu," Hotch suggested. "I think you should go home for the rest of the day and get some sleep."

"I'm fine," Reid shook his head. "I just got a little dizzy."

"You're not fine, Reid," Emily sighed.

"Go home, Reid, and that's an order," Hotch said in an authoritative tone that Reid knew not to argue with. "Emily, can you take him home?"

"Yes and I'll get him settled into bed too. Oh, Reid. Don't worry, we'll have you up and running again in no time."

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi. It's Autumnamberleaves writing this chapter. I hope you will enjoy this chapter, and next chapter, the lovely Gothina234 will be back! This story is an AU as in it is set in the tenth season of the show but Emily is still on the team and never left. Enjoy and we look forward to hearing from you all. **

**Thank you all so much for all the reviews. You're absolutely wonderful and we love you all! Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

Prentiss edged her car into the tiny parallel parking space in front of Reid's apartment building. After turning the engine off, she glanced at her youngest teammate. The genius hadn't talked during the ride home, and had quickly dozed off and was still asleep. Emily sighed softly.

"Reid." She called to him and gently shook his shoulder. Reid mumbled and his eyes fluttered open.

"Hmm?" The young man questioned, not quite awake yet.

"We're at your apartment. Let's get you inside and settled into bed, then you can sleep off this bug." Prentiss encouraged, smiling a smile she didn't really feel. She finally exited her car and rushed to Reid's door. She watched, ready to step in as the ill genius fumbled with getting his seatbelt off. After a moment Reid successfully unbuckled himself and stood on wobbly legs.

Emily instantly grasped his bicep to help steady him. "Come on. I'll help you. Let's walk." She could tell that Reid felt uncomfortable with accepting help when he was used to being independent and had been since he was a small child. "It's ok." She assured him.

"Prentiss, this isn't necessary, I can walk." The genius protested, only to have his request denied by his teammate who simply kept walking with him to his apartment.

* * *

Reid felt absolutely horrible and on top of that, had endured a crappy day at work. He had known that he would not be able to keep his rapidly declining health a secret for long but had hoped that he could for a while longer. To make matters worse, he'd been sent home accompanied by a co-worker. Now, not only was he not working, but he was causing Prentiss to miss work as well.

He tried to not show his annoyance at having to be escorted home as a child, but it was hard to not show it, especially in light of being accused of delving back into his old drug habit by his supposed best friend. He had been clean for over seven years and would never allow himself to fall into that destructive lifestyle again. It could have cost him his job, his friends and even his life. Sighing softly, he shook off the thought at least until he could better process it.

He allowed himself to be helped into his home, only giving a token protest as Emily carefully led him. His general malase coupled with his blurred vision did not enable him to be as independent as he always strived to be. It was a testament to how horrible he felt to accept Prentiss's help. He hadn't shown how horrible he felt when he was infected with Anthrax, enabling his team to keep working the case and save America from certain disaster, nor any of the times that he had been shot. Now without a case taking precedence, he found it hard to hide just how bad he felt.

". . ."

". . .Reid?" He turned weary eyes on Prentiss. He suddenly realized that they were standing inside his family room.

"Yes?"

"Do you want to sleep in your bed or on the couch?" Prentiss repeated.

"Uh. . .bed." Reid decided, feeling his brain straining over what should have been a simple decision. "I want to get some water first. Bathroom. . ." He muttered. Reid couldn't understand why he felt so lousy. What was wrong with his body? He had endured many flus, colds and the like and yet, this didn't feel like any of those times.

"Here, you go take care of business, and I'll fix you a glass of water." Prentiss suggested. "Can you make it to the bathroom all right?" The hall bathroom was only a few feet away from the family room and Reid wasn't about to allow himself to have help even getting to the bathroom.

"I'll be fine." He assured his co-worker. He staggered to the bathroom. After he finished his business, he splashed water on his face, willing the world to stop spinning. He'd have to research his symptoms to figure out what was wrong with him. In any case, he wanted to avoid going to the doctor. He never went, discounting work related injuries or his run in with anthrax.

"Reid, are you ok in there?" He heard Prentiss knock on the door.

"Ye-" He started to answer as he pushed open the door. The spinning world came up to meet him as Prentiss found herself catching him for the second time that day.

"Don't even finish saying that you're fine." Prentiss gently chided as she half-dragged him to his room. She had turned down his bed and had set his water glass on his bed stand. She held onto his shoulder as he climbed into his queen sized bed and gratefully pulled the sheets over his ailing body. He reached out a shaking hand to grasp his glass of water and instead found Emily holding the glass near his face. "Drink," she encouraged. He needed no more persuading as he attempted to gulp down the refreshing beverage. He frowned when his co-worker took it away mid-gulp.

"Wha..why?" He questioned, eying the water she was holding just out of reach.

"You need to drink a little slower Reid. You'll get sick otherwise." Emily reminded him.

Reid knew that was true, but he was just so thirsty and the only thing that was quenching that thirst was actively drinking, the water didn't seem to help after he drank it, only during. To his relief, Prentiss once again held the glass to his lips and he drank greedily from it, trying hard not to drink too much too fast. She leaned closer to him, sniffing the air.

"Somethin' wrong?" He panted as he finished the glass.

"I just smell something odd, that's all." Prentiss assured him. Reid followed her example and sniffed as well. The ill young man couldn't smell anything at all.

"I think it's you…your breathe, it smells. . .fruity." Prentiss decided.

"Fruity?" Reid sleepily questioned, laying his head on a gel-filled pillow.

"Yeah, but it's ok. Get some sleep." Prentiss encouraged as she gave into a rare impulse and ran her hand through his hair.

"Ok." Reid agreed as he instantly fell asleep, his body giving into the overpowering urge to shut down for a while.

* * *

Prentiss wasn't about to leave Reid alone. She didn't know what was wrong with the ill genius but her gut told her that it was something serious, something sinister. If Reid was still this sick when he awoke, she would be taking him to a doctor, his not-so-hidden dislike of doctor visits notwithstanding. She had known back when the Anthrax scare had happened, that the genius had felt awful, but that was only because she had heard how the other patients had suffered, Reid had been so very careful to hide how he felt, then and when he had been shot all three times-grieving for Mauve when he was shot in the arm notwithstanding, that it was a shock to see him losing the struggle to remain nonchalant about his health.

Even if he hadn't been acting odd, the tell-tale signs of sickness were all but tattooed onto him. His clothes had become baggy, evidence of weight he had lost in a very short time, his skin was paler than normal, and he practically shook like a junkie in need of a fix. Prentiss cringed at that, she knew, as did everyone on their team, Reid's past struggle with narcotics and his withdrawal of them. She had been scared that he had fallen back into the old habit, but the confrontation with Morgan had thankfully nixed that idea.

Then there was Reid's sudden unquenchable thirst for water. Prentiss swore that the thirty-four year old had drunk his ever-decreasing weight in the liquid just in the past couple of days. Also there was the fact that he had to use the bathroom so much, true, he had been drinking water practically non-stop, but it still seemed he was using the facilities even too much in light of his recent drinking habits.

Taking a reassuring glance at her slumbering colleague, she exited the room, intent on fixing a snack. She'd fix up something for Reid and save it for when he awoke as well. Despite Spencer's weight loss, the team had noticed and teased him at first about him eating more. Several days he had even ate more than Morgan usually did and the muscular agent was known to be a big eater.

After fixing a plate of peanut butter crackers from supplies she had found in Reid's pantry, she made her way back into the bedroom. She had covered his portion with a paper towel and set it by a fresh glass of water. Taking a seat in the brown upholstered high-back chair, she settled in for a long wait.

* * *

BAU

Back at the BAU, Morgan had grown restless. He tried to focus on the file in front of him, but it was if the words were in some undecipherable foreign language. He finally put the bothersome file down onto his desk and stood up for what was possibly his fiftieth time that hour. He crossed the room to the door and peered out. He could just make out Reid's empty desk, a file still opened where Pretty Boy had left it prior to his bathroom break and subsequent dismissal for the day. Morgan rubbed his chin and exited his office, making his way to his little brother's desk. He sat down on Reid's chair and grasped the file. For some reason, this file was much easier to read and he made short work on completing his best friend's last file of the day. It was the least he could do.

He felt awful for the fight he had with the man he considered his little brother. What kind of friend was he, to automatically assume that Reid had gone back onto drugs? Morgan was a profiler and he had misread his best friend so badly. Morgan should have given him the benefit of the doubt and not just latch onto the idea of Reid having had fallen back into drugs. It was true that he needed to know, but there were other ways to have found out. However, in true form, he had allowed his anger over Garcia's treatment override his senses and had lashed out at the genius.

The muscular agent made a snap decision and stood up, careful to not disturb any of Reid's things on the desk. His foot hit something as he moved from the cubicle. He peered down and realized that in all the confusion, Reid had left his messenger bag at work. That was no problem; Morgan would give it to him when he got to his apartment. That was where he was heading to anyway. They were already down two agents for the day, and he couldn't imagine Hotch taking a case anyways.

He picked up the bag, and headed to his boss's office. Hearing a "come in" after he knocked on the door, he entered barely into the doorway. He looked at Hotch in the eye.

"I'm heading over to Reid's." It wasn't a question. Morgan was leaving work with or without Hotch's blessing, consequences be damned.

"Morgan-"Hotch began before he was interrupted.

"No Hotch. I'm going now, I wasn't there until he had started to recover from Anthrax, but I'll be with him throughout this. My brother deserves nothing less." Morgan challenged.

"Morgan." Hotch's stern voice softened, "all I was going to say was to call me with an update on his condition."

"Oh. . .ok. Thanks." Morgan slightly embarrassed left the office and made his way out of the BAU.

* * *

Reid's Apartment

Morgan jogged up the stairs at Reid's apartment building. Now that he had arrived, he didn't want to waste any more time getting over to his friend to apologize. Reid's messenger bag hung securely over Morgan's chest as he waited by the door for Prentiss to open it. He had sent her a text informing her that he was there so to not have to ring the bell or knock and risk waking Reid if he was asleep. Soon the door opened and Prentiss beckoned him in.

"Hi, I'm glad you're here. Morgan, he hasn't woken up in the three hours we've been here. He fell asleep in the car, awoke just long enough to use the bathroom and drink a glass of water and he's been asleep ever since. I practically had to carry him inside. I fixed him a snack, in case he got hungry but obviously he hasn't eaten it. " Prentiss greeted Morgan in one breath.

"Don't worry, we'll get him feeling better." Morgan tried to reassure the raven-haired agent. Prentiss gave him a disbelieving look but to her credit, didn't call him on it. Both agents knew that whatever the hell was wrong with Reid, it probably wasn't anything simple and easy to fix. They hoped that they were wrong but feared that they were not.

Morgan stepped further into the family room and exited through the hall. "I'm gunna go check on Pretty Boy." He unnecessarily informed Prentiss. He took a deep breath as he quietly opened the door to his friend's bedroom. He immediately looked at the tangle of blankets on the bed, his friend's unruly brunet hair spilled out of the top of the cocoon.

"Reid? Pretty Boy?" Morgan softly called out, not sure if he should try to wake the genius up or if he should let him sleep. He walked closer to the bed and noticed that his friend's eyes were open but in slits.

"Hey Pretty Boy, you awake? The muscular agent wasn't sure if Reid was indeed awake or simply dreaming.

"Hphm?" Reid moaned in response.

Before Morgan could say anything more, Reid opened his eyes properly and cast a nervous glance around. "Mo'gan. . .he's. . .case. . . preacher . . .bird. . .gotta" Reid rambled, agitated.

"Reid. Pretty Boy. Relax. Look at me." Morgan commanded, worried out of his mind. Reid was scaring him and didn't seem to be in the present at all. Added to the fact that there was a stench in the air that Morgan recognized from unclean bathrooms and prison visits. Reid himself didn't seem to realize it or acknowledge the smell at all.

"No. . .please. . .no I don't want it" Reid muttered, still stuck in his delirium. He weakly swatted the air but his arm weakly fell down with a soft plop. He grew quiet, his stayed open but were blank, seeming to stare at everything and yet nothing at the same time.

Morgan stepped back a little and thought about what to do. Reid obviously needed medical care but once he came out of whatever this was, he'd be mortified that he'd wet himself. There was nothing to it though, it had to be dealt with. He'd take care of his little brother. He briefly thought of having Prentiss call an ambulance while he got Reid ready, but knew that Reid lived close enough to the hospital that it would take the same amount of time to get there via ambulance or car. While Reid was in need of some serious help, his breathing wasn't suppressed and a quick but attentive check at his pulse showed that while a little slower than normal, his heart was functioning well. Reid could physically stand riding to the hospital with them and not in an ambulance.

"Reid. Prentiss and I are going to take you to the hospital, you need help. I'm going to help you get into some dry warm clothes before we do." He stated deliberately, knowing that Reid would be blushing redder than a tomato if he were more aware. For once in this whole situation, Morgan was glad for his friend's stupor.

Morgan took a deep breath and grabbed the needed clothes from various drawers. He glanced back at the door to ensure it was closed for Reid's and Prentiss's benefits and quickly set about his task. This was far more of his friend than he ever wanted to see, but he knew that if fates had been turned, Reid would have done it for him. He chatted to Reid as he worked on getting the genius dressed, the Las Vegas native didn't offer help or conversation and instead just laid there like a marionette who's movements were solely controlled by someone else. The muscular agent quickly shook that notion off, memories of a very disturbed unsub turning his victims into human puppets flooding his memory. He had enough to deal without taking an unwanted journey through memory lane.

Once he was done, he tried to wake Reid enough into the present to walk. He found himself unsuccessful with that chore and instead opted to picking his friend up and settling him in his arms. He carried him out of the room and walked over to Prentiss who had stood up at the pair's arrival.

"I got his insurance card and ID." She gestured to the bag sitting by her feet. I also found his second go-bag" She referred to the bag they each left at home if they were at home and had to go straight to the airport and not be able to pick up their bags in the lockers.

"Thanks Em." Morgan hadn't filled her in that they were going to the hospital, but he supposed that it was obvious Reid needed emergency care. Knowing the raven-haired woman, he was sure that if he had not decided to take the genius, she would be telling him that they were going right then as well.

"Let's go." Prentiss opened the door for Morgan and lifted the go-bag into her arms. She locked the door after she exited.

"Yeah, let's go kick some illness of an unsub's ass."

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, everyon_e. _Gothina234 here and I hope you enjoy this next chapter. We just want to say a big thank you to the amazing response that you've all given to this story. Autumnamberleaves will be back in the next chapter. Enjoy and we look forward to hearing from you all.  
**

**A message from Autumnamberleaves :-**

**To the guest flutrbye: Thank you for commenting on our story. We really appreciate it. Thanks for sharing about your experience with diabetes as well. Don't worry, this story will have up-to-date information and we feel that it's unfortunate that people have outdated believes about the disease. We are very aware that diabetics can eat anything and have normal lives. This story was inspired by my niece being diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes back in July of last year. Since I watch her, I know all about the carb counting, shots, and testing. In fact, the title is a reference to carb counting. My niece doesn't have a monitor yet but may get one (if her parents can convince her-she doesn't mind pricking her finger a lot). I have Rheumatoid Arthiritis (an auto-immune disorder in the same category as T1D) and I personally can't stand "Oh, I know EXACTLY how you feel-I have a touch of it in my knee/finger/etc!" No, they don't know how I feel, they probably don't take CHEMO for theirs! So I can understand the frustration you must feel. **

** Thanks again! -Autumnamberleaves**

**Thank you all so much for the reviews. You're absolutely brilliant and we love you! Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

Morgan ignored the stares that came from Reid's neighbours as he carried him down the stairs. Emily followed quickly behind him with her eyes never leaving Reid's limp form. A small moan escaped from Reid's lips as Morgan accidentally bumped his leg against the wall. "Sorry, kid," Morgan apologised. "We're almost to the car. You can lay down in the back seat and have Emily fuss over you. Every man likes to be fussed over by a beautiful woman."

Morgan doubted that Reid could hear him but talking helped keep himself calm. He had accused Reid of turning back to drugs, not even considering that Reid was suffering from an illness, and hated himself for jumping to the worse conclusion. Once they reached the entrance to the apartment complex, Emily rushed to the door and opened it. Morgan manoeuvred Reid carefully through the doors and walked over to the SUV which Emily had already started to unlock.

"Emily, get in the back seat and then I'll slide him in. Let him rest his head on your lap. I don't want you to take your eyes off him for second."

"I won't," she assured him before getting in the back seat. Reid barely made a noise as Morgan lowered him from his arms and into the back seat. Once Reid's head was on Emily's lap, she began to stroke her hand gently through his hair.

Taking the keys and jumping into the driver's seat, Morgan turned the keys in the ignition and positioned the rear view mirror so he could keep an eye on his friend. He barely noticed the loud blare of a car horn as he pulled into traffic.

"Morgan, I know you want to get Reid to the hospital quickly but we also need to get their alive. Keep calm and keep your focus on the road. I've got Reid."

Taking a deep breath, he focused on the road and knew he had to drive safely. His grip on the wheel tightened as the anger at himself grew inside of himself. "Emily, I screwed up."

"What are you talking about?" Emily questioned. Morgan stayed silent for a moment as he tried to find the words. "Morgan, what did you do?"

"I was angry with him for upsetting Garcia and I accused him of something I knew he would never turn back too. I didn't even consider that he was suffering from whatever is happening to him. I yelled at him and accused him of taking drugs again. He was showing signs of drug use and I just jumped to the conclusion that he was using again. I just hate myself for the way I confronted him. I can't stop thinking about how angry he was at me. Can you check his arm? I grabbed him and dragged him into a room back at the BAU. Please tell me that I didn't hurt him."

Emily brought up Reid's sleeves and found some dark bruises in the shape of a hand on his arm. She put down the sleeve and returned to stroking her hand through his hair. She stayed silent as she looked out of her window at the passing traffic.

"Emily, did I hurt him?" Morgan asked shakily. "Please, just tell me."

"He's got a dark bruise in the shape of a hand on his upper arm. Just focus on the road, Morgan. You can apologize to him when he's in the right mind to listen to you."

Emily leaned down as she noticed that Reid was having some trouble with his breathing. Pressing her ear to his chest, she listened as his breathing began to become irregular and laboured. She leaned him up against her arm and began to rub his chest. "Morgan, go faster."

"What's wrong?" Morgan panicked as he glanced at the back seat.

Emily found it easy to lift Reid's thin and light body into a sitting position. "His breathing is becoming laboured."

She tapped Reid's cheek and tried to get him to wake up without success. "Reid, just hold on. Come on, I know that you're not feeling well but you need to focus on your breathing."

"Hold on, kid," Morgan called as he began to accelerate through traffic.

* * *

Morgan pulled up outside the hospital's emergency entrance. He rushed out of the driver's seat and opened the back door. Bringing Reid into his arms, he could hear how shallow his best friend's breathing had become. Emily was right by his side as they rushed through the doors.

"I need some help here," Morgan shouted at the nurses. Three women ran over to him and called for a gurney. He lowered Reid to the gurney as a doctor joined them. "Please help him."

"I'm Doctor Baker, how long has he been unconscious?"

"He was a little delirious back at the apartment and he's not been able to think straight. He hasn't made a sound since we put him in the car. He didn't come into work feeling that well today," Morgan explained quickly. "His name is Spencer."

Doctor Baker shined a small light into Reid's eyes. "Spencer, can you hear me?"

"Doctor, his breath smells fruity," one of the nurses said.

"Nurse, take him into exam room 3 and get him started on fluids. I'll be with you in a moment."

Morgan went to follow but was held back by Doctor Baker. "I want to go with him," Morgan argued. "We need to stay with him."

"The best thing you can do is tell me all of the symptoms that Spencer has been experiencing. Every little detail will help. He's in good hands with the nurses."

"He's been irritable and was snapping at everyone at work," Morgan began.

"He's also been drinking a lot of water," Emily interrupted. "He's a coffee addict so seeing him drink so much water just isn't natural. It's like he's constantly thirsty. He has also gone to the toilet more than usual. A lot more."

"He actually wet himself before we came here," Morgan sighed. "Please don't tell him that. The kid also has lost weight."

Emily spoke next. "Spencer was thin before he was sick and he's always been that way but his clothes are hanging off him. It's clear as day that he has lost weight. This afternoon, he was dizzy too and I had to catch him so he didn't fall over. Please, just help him and find out what's wrong with him."

"Stay in the waiting room till I come and inform you on Spencer's condition. We need our space to work and it's best if you stay out here. Are either of you his medical contact?"

"No, but we can get him down to the hospital," Emily said quickly. "I have all Spencer's insurance details."

"Go to the nurses station and fill out the paperwork. I'll come out as soon as I can," Doctor Bake smiled gently before leaving them and making his way through the double doors. Emily and Morgan stayed frozen where they stood as they thought about Reid being all alone. He hated hospitals and they both hoped that he stayed asleep till they could go to him.

"I don't care who owns the car that is blocking my ER entrance but you need to move it," a nurse called out.

"Go," Emily nodded. "I'll call Hotch and fill out the paperwork. I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

Hotch was packing his briefcase as the darkening sky signalled that it was time to leave for the day. As soon as he finished clicking it shut, his cellphone began to vibrate inside his pocket. He brought it out and immediately answered it. "Hotchner."

"Hotch, it's Emily. You need to come down to the hospital."

"The hospital?" Hotch frowned. "Wait, what happened to Spencer?"

"We had to bring him in. He got a lot worse after we left work and his breathing became laboured on the way to the hospital. They are working on him now but they need you to come here as you're his medical contact and you have power of attorney over him. Morgan isn't dealing with this well either. Just hurry."

"I'm on my way."

* * *

Morgan paced up and down the waiting room as they waited for news on Reid. Hotch had told the rest of the team to stay at their homes till further notice. Emily cradled a half full and cold cup of coffee in her hand as the clock on the wall tortured her by counting the minutes so slowly. It was difficult to stop the memory of Reid's struggling to breathe properly in the car coming to the front of her mind.

All three of them looked up as the door opened. Doctor Baker stepped into the room with a clipboard in his hand. "Spencer Reid."

"I'm Aaron Hotchner. I'm his medical contact. Please, tell us you know what's wrong with him."

"We've run our tests and we've found out what is wrong with him. Please, sit down. There is a lot I need to explain."

**Please review**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi, it's Autumnamberleaves writing this chapter. Sorry for the slight delay in getting this chapter out, despite having a niece with Reid's disease, I wanted to do more research. I hope this meets your expectations and once again, both Gothina234 and I are very grateful for all of y'all. **

**Thank you so much for all the reviews!**

**All mistake are my own**

Dr. Baker hesitated for a moment when the three agents made to sit down in the small waiting area. "Perhaps, for patient confidentiality, I should only speak to Spencer's medical contact," the kind doctor checked his clipboard-"Agent Aaron Hotchner."

Hotch pulled out his FBI identification, "That's me. They can be informed as well." Hotch nodded to his two agents." Hotch knew that Morgan and Prentiss would not be deterred from finding out about Reid and regardless, his team was a family.

"Very well then." Dr. Baker sat down in front of the three agents and laced his fingers together. He took a deep breath and began. "We suspected what was wrong when he was brought in. We had to wait for a specialist-a Endocrinologist to be available for an official diagnose. Dr. Furr confirmed our theory. Spencer is suffering from Type One Diabetes."

"Diabetes?" Morgan was incredulous, "The Kid has diabetes? He doesn't have any of the risk factors of that!" Both Hotch and Prentiss looked shocked but none more so than the self-proclaimed older brother of the genius.

"Type One Diabetes, is very different than the more common Type Two Diabetes. Type One is what we call an auto-immune disease-"

"Auto-immune,like his body is attacking itself?" Prentiss questioned, having had heard the term before but not being overly familiar with it.

Dr. Baker nodded, "Exactly, an auto-immune disease can basically be described as your immune system becoming allergic to something else in your body and as you said, attacks one's own body. In the case of Type One Diabetes, your pancreas stops making insulin in response to the auto-immune disorder.

"Wait, isn't Type One also referred to as 'Juvenile Diabetes?'" Hotch questioned, his usual stern expression mixed with recognition of the term.

"Yes, Juvenile Diabetes used to be the popular term but has become antiquated as it is not accurate due to anyone forty years or younger can get it, there have been some cases where a patient was in their sixties and received the diagnoses.

"So. . . Doc, will he be okay?" Morgan asked, his face etched with worry. Reid always seemed to have the worst luck and this seemed to be another curve ball thrown at him.

"In time, he will be able to function almost normally. I'm not going to lie, it will be a huge adjustment but as long as he can adjust to a few changes, he'll be able to live a normal life. Right now, we are trying to adjust his insulin level as he is experiencing a complication called Diabetic Ketoacidosis. He's probably had diabetes for a while now and simply didn't notice, it can be very hard to detect at first. The diabetes, left untreated for as long it was, caused him to go into a near coma-"

"Coma!" All three agents exclaimed as one.

"Almost. He's responsive to stimuli but until we get his blood sugar stabilized, he will stay in this state. Unfortunately, we have to treat this complication slowly or we run the risk of sending him into a severe blood sugar low. However, if you want to see him, I can take you to him." The kindly doctor offered.

"Yes, please." Hotch answered for the three agents and briskly followed Reid's doctor.

They walked down the short hallway until they came to a door on the right. "He's in here. We just gave him some more fluids and electrolytes, and insulin among other things. This will help his blood sugar to lower and Spencer should begin to feel better in a while. I'm just going to check his stats and then I will give you some time with him."

Hotch, Prentiss and Morgan watched as the doctor stepped into the room and gently closed the door. Once they were alone again, the agents stared at each other for a full minute. Finally Morgan broke the silence.

"We should let the others know. I don't even want to guess what Baby Girl will do to me if she finds out we kept her out of the loop for a second too long." Morgan grimaced, he loved Garcia, but she definitely had her own brand of rules and laws when it came to her family.

At that, Hotch looked amused for the slightest second while Prentiss snorted in laughter. "Morgan, you know she's probably already hacked the hospital database and found out before we did."

"Still, Morgan is right; we do need to inform the rest of the team. I am sure that they are worried sick. I don't know how long they will be willing to stay away from the hospital, but I'm guessing it's not going to be much longer." Hotch gestured to his phone where he had received fifty text messages and an equal amount of phone messages. He was sure the others had probably gotten that many or even more.

"After, we see him for a bit, I will go and make the calls," Prentiss offered. Morgan was Reid's all-but-in-name brother and Hotch was his surrogate father figure. While she and Spencer were close, she knew how badly Morgan felt at the argument he and the genius had had that morning and would need the time. "Oh and Morgan-"

"Yeah?" The man in question looked at the female agent.

"You SO owe me for talking to Garcia!" She kidded.

"Oh boy."

After about five minutes, the doctor came out through the door. "I will be checking on him in about thirty minutes. If you need me or a nurse, just press the call button on his bed." He smiled at the agents and left.

Morgan was the first one in the room. Now that it was finally time to see his friend, he was nervous. Reid was lying half-way up in the bed and his eyes were closed. Morgan walked closer to the younger man. Spencer's eyes were closed, and his skin was still pale, but a tad less than what it had been just hours before.

Morgan hardly noticed that Prentiss and Hotch were in the room but standing near a wall, giving him space while still being able to see their sick family member. "Oh, Pretty Boy, we'll get you through this and help you learn to live with what all this brings. We're not-I'm not-going to let you have to face this alone." Morgan softly promised his unconscious friend.

"He's looking better." Prentiss stepped up to Reid's bedside. It was true, while he still looked awful; it was a far cry from how the genius had been at his apartment. Spencer had IVs in his hand and there were was a tube that disappeared under the bed sheets.

After he gave his two agents some time with their youngest, Hotch walked towards the group. He didn't speak but gently reached out his hand and patted the genius on the shoulder. He hoped that even unconscious, Reid would be able to understand that the team wouldn't let him down. They had in the past, too many times, it seemed, but even if they had to read every book printed on his treatment, they would.

Hotch was torn, Reid had been in the hospital many times since he became an FBI agent. From kidnapping, being shot three times (even if one time was only treated in the ER and sent home to mourn the loss of his girlfriend) to Anthrax, the young man had certainly become prone to being a patient in some hospital or another. However, this time, an unsub hadn't sent him here, at least not a physical one, but his own body attacked him. All the other times, Hotch had either been so busy with a case, national security or even his own hospitalization and health, but this time he could truly be there for Spencer.

"I'll go call the others," Prentiss's voice broke into Hotch's inner monologue. "I'm sure that they are anxious." Hotch nodded and Prentiss carded her hand through Reid's hair once more and turned and walked out of the room.

* * *

Prentiss stepped out of a set of hospital doors and into a patio that was obviously meant to cheer patients and families alike up. The patio had a small shallow pond with a bend facing it while flowers and stone animals surrounded the water. She sat down on the bench, glad that it was empty of other people. She needed the serenity the patio offered. Deciding that she would call each of the members of her team personally instead of sending one impersonal group text, she settled in for what was sure to be a draining task. Not one to shy away from unpleasant tasks, Prentiss took her cell phone out of her pocket and began. Deciding that it was better to get the call that was most dreaded out of the way first, she hit speed dial.

"Hello!" The phone didn't even register a full ring tone before the recipient answered the call. Evidently they had been waiting phone in hand for this very call.

"Hey-" Before Prentiss could continue, she was interrupted.

"What took you so long? Is Boy Wonder ok? Do you know what is wrong? Are they fixing him up? Is he awake? Can he come home? Will-"

Not for the first time, Prentiss decided that one Penelope Garcia would make an excellent profiler. Maybe they should let her interrogate their unsubs, she was fantastic at it. "Woah, Garcia, slow down and like I said on that case, it's DC time." She lightly chided her friend, recalling an earlier case where she had told the bubbly tech that it was Decaf Coffee, or, DC, time.

"Don't try to change the subject, Emily." Garcia was uncharacteristically snappy. Of course, Prentiss thought that she too may be if the roles were reversed, and so cut her some slack.

"Ok, ok. Sorry. Sorry for the long wait, we just got the results in. Reid was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes, of all things" Prentiss spoke but as expected, Garcia interrupted.

"Diabetes?! Is he going to be ok? What can I do to help him-I know, I'll get on my babies and-there I go" Prentiss could hear the tech typing away at her normal rapid-fire speed. She was sure Garcia would have tons of print-outs on the disease given a few minutes.

"Yeah, Type One. He'll need to take insulin and make some changes in his life-most of which the doctor didn't go into as he is still out of it. He's being treated for a complication called Diabetic Ketoacidosis, which caused his blood sugar to sky rocket so they are working on bringing it down. It's a slow process because they don't want his blood sugar to go too low either. Once he wakes up, he'll have to spend a few days in the hospital to be monitored and to learn how to control the disease, but the doctor assured us that as long as Spencer takes care of himself, he can live a relatively normal life." Prentiss assured her friend.

The two agents chatted for a few more minutes before Prentiss needed to contact Rossi and JJ as well. Thankfully, despite JJ's shock, she was much easier to handle than Garcia had been, concerned but not as emotional as the other blonde had been. As expected, Rossi was the easiest to tell.

As diseases went, learning a loved one had Diabetes was definitely a shock but there were many other diseases that far surpassed it. Prentiss could not fathom having to tell her teammates if Reid had had cancer or a number of other untreatable diseases and was thankful that it was only diabetes. Reid would live and be ok.

Garcia, JJ and Rossi all promised that they were coming to the hospital, with Garcia actually threatening to erase anybody's digital life if they did not let her come that instant. Prentiss expected no less and thus left the patio in search of Reid's doctor. For all involved, it was better to inform him that there would be more people coming to stay with their youngest family member.

* * *

"Oh sweetie." Garcia sighed at the first sight of her Junior G Man. She hadn't been at the apartment earlier and to hear her Dark Chocolate say that he looked better since then, was heart-breaking. She personally thought he looked horrible. She reached her hand up to him and straightened the bed sheet which had gotten crumbled. Once she was certain that he was comfortable as could be expected, she brushed his forehead with her lips, kissing him chastely. "You poor baby." She paid no attention to the other five people in the room and took out a stuffed animal mouse from her large purse. I don't know if you can hear me, but I bought this for you. I know that it's Christmas themed, but I found it at the gift shop and fell in love with it. Her name is Muffy, of course you can change it, if you want to, but it looks like a Muffy to me." Garcia stuck the stuffed animal that held a fake candy cane and had a holly bow over one ear, between the genius's arms. "There you go."

"So Hotch. What's the game plan?" Morgan turned to their boss. "I know that the doc said that Reid would be able to live a pretty normal life but will he still be able to be an FBI agent?" Morgan was scared that this diagnosis would destroy Reid's career, since it seemed, at least at that moment, treatment seemed to be all-consuming.

"Yes, Morgan, many agents have that and other chronic conditions and are on the field just as much as we are. With training, Reid, will be fine." Hotch assured his agent, even as he himself was wrestling with similar questions.

Any more conversation was cut off by the sight of two chocolate brown eyes blinking at the assembled group. "Hi guys."

**Ok, so I hope that you liked this chapter. Once again, I apologize for being tardy with this chapter but my own auto-immune disease and the treatment for it, decided to kick me in the behind and concluded with having to have a minor, unexpected procedure done. I know that the team might seem overly dramatic, but I figured that getting any news that a beloved family member has a chronic life-long disease, no matter what it was, would be hard to comprehend. In a later chapter, I will detail more of what Reid's treatment is and how he will learn to live with it. Thank you for reading!**

**-Autumnamberleaves**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, everyone, it's Gothina234 writing this chapter. I just want to say that I really enjoy working with Autumnamberleaves on this story and she's also teaching me a lot about Type One Diabetes. I had intended to have this chapter out last night but I had been busy all day at a family dinner and fell asleep because I was exhausted. Sorry for the delay. Enjoy and we hope to hear from you all on this chapter.  
**

**Thank you so much for the reviews, we love them and really appreciate them. Thank you!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistake are my own**

"Oh, my baby boy is awake," Garcia grinned before leaning down and kissing both his cheeks. Reid looked down at the stuffed animal mouse in his arms and then back into her eyes. "Her name is Muffy and she's here to make you feel better and give you someone to win an argument with because you won't be winning one with us any time soon. You're under strict rules, Mister."

"What do you mean?" he frowned. "Am I in the hospital?"

Hotch walked over to the side of the bed and put a comforting hand on Reid's arm. "We have a lot to talk about. Morgan and Emily brought you to the hospital when you struggled to breathe and couldn't stay awake. Garcia is right too. You're going to need help and you need to listen to us. You can't be stubborn or think you can handle this on your own."

"Handle what?" Reid questioned. He tried to sit up but found his body rejecting the signals he was sending for it to move. Every part of his body felt heavy and weak. "What's wrong with me?"

"You're going to feel ill for a little while but I want you to know that we're going to support you. Reid, we spoke with the doctor and he's confirmed the diagnosis with an Endocrinologist. You have Type One Diabetes."

"What?"

Emily came over to him and held his hand. "I know it's a lot to take in. Doctor Baker said that you've probably had it for a while but just not noticed."

"I think some people noticed but jumped to the wrong conclusions," Reid sighed weakly before moving his glance over to Morgan. The glance didn't go unnoticed by the team but all of them knew that this wasn't the time or place for an argument to break out. Rossi walked near the door.

"Morgan, I'm going to grab some coffee for everyone. I could use a hand."

"Yeah, I could do with the walk," Morgan said quietly before leaving the room ahead of Rossi.

JJ crossed her arms and looked to Reid as Rossi left the room. "What was that about?"

"Nothing," Reid said before blinking slowly. "So, I have an auto-immune disease. That's...well that is just great. I get attacked by people I trust because they make assumptions and now my own body is attacking itself. My pancreas has stopped making insulin because of the auto-immune disorder."

"Who attacked you?" Garcia asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," Reid huffed. "What are my treatment options?"

"Doctor Baker is working out a long term treatment plan for you but you're being treated right now for something called Diabetic Ket-Ket..-" Hotch tried to explain before tripping over the word.

"Diabetic Ketoacidosis," Reid interrupted. "I know what it is."

"They are having to treat you slowly for the Diabetic Ketoacidosis because they don't want to send you into a severe blood sugar low. They are lowering your blood sugar slowly to get it to a suitable level and they have also have given you fluids, electrolytes and insulin. Look, you have to take care of yourself properly now. Doctor Baker said that you can lead a normal life as long as you make some changes and look after yourself," Hotch explained. "You gave us all a very big scare. You almost fell in a coma."

"I just thought it was the flu," Reid defended as he began to feel judged by those around him. "No-one in my family has Type One Diabetes."

"Reid, you wouldn't admit that you were severely ill till you nearly collapsed in front of me," Emily said. "I had to hold you in my arms and listen to you struggle with your breathing. You have to tell us when your not feeling well in the future."

Reid felt the pull of exhaustion and needed space after being told about his new diagnosis. He felt frustration at never being able to live a normal life. If it wasn't unsubs trying to hurt him and those he loved, it was his body turning against itself or taking too long to heal. He looked up at Emily and Garcia. "I'm tired. I'm going to go back to sleep."

"Okay," Garcia smiled gently. "You get some sleep and get your strength back up. We'll be right here waiting. So will Muffy."

* * *

Rossi brought Morgan over to one of the tables before even ordering any coffee for the team. "What was all that about in Reid's room?"

"It was nothing," Morgan shrugged. "We need to get the others their coffee."

"Look, the whole team noticed the awkwardness between Reid and yourself. Something clearly happened before he ended up in the hospital and it needs to be sorted out sooner rather than later. You two are practically brothers. What is going on? Don't even think of dodging the question."

Morgan sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Reid snapped at Garcia and she was really upset. His behaviour had been off all morning but I just snapped when I saw Garcia walk into her office to cry. I dragged him into a room and I jumped to conclusions, Rossi. Everything going on with him seemed to point to him using drugs again. I accused him of taking drugs again and he got so angry with me. I wouldn't let him out of the room either. He shoved up his sleeves and showed me his arms before storming out of the room. I hate myself for jumping to the worst conclusion. Even worse, I hurt him when I stopped him from leaving the room. Emily said he has a dark hand shaped bruise around his arm."

"Morgan, the best thing I can say right now is that you need to apologise to him and make things right again. I can't blame you for jumping to that conclusion but I think you should have done it in a better way. You know that Reid is a very private person. He hasn't had the greatest time in the past and I think he was just trying to keep part of his life private and thought that the trust between you two would have been enough to give you an answer to your suspicions. None of us could have predicted this for him. People hang onto these things for far too long. Go to Reid and apologise for what happened. I'm going to come along too and he will apologise too."

"Apologise for what?" Morgan remarked.

"He needs to understand that his past gave you reason to suspect he was back on drugs. While you may of not handled it the right way, he still needs to realise that you are only looking out for him and his well being. I know he's not well and his behaviour is a little off but he needs to focus again and stop taking things out on everyone. You both need to to hash it out and put this to rest. I'll be there to referee you both so don't worry," Rossi smiled before rising up from his seat. "Now, we have to get some coffee for everyone."

Morgan rose up and walked with Rossi to the counter. "Thank you for talking to me, Rossi. I needed someone to give me some clear advice."

"Wisdom comes with age," Rossi said before touching his hair. "As do the grey hairs."

* * *

Garcia gently stroked her hand through Reid's hair as she began to research Type One Diabetes on her phone. She bookmarked every page that thought would help her care for Reid. Hotch was speaking with Dr Baker about how Reid's new chronic condition would affect him in active duty.

Emily touched her shoulder and gave her a sad smile. "Garcia, all of us are going to prepare him for what he's going to need to do and we'll all keep an eye on him. All of this doesn't fall down to you."

"I know," Garcia shrugged before turning off her phone. "It's hard seeing him like this and it'll be hard not to worry about him all the time. I've been reading a lot of articles. He's going to have to be so careful and really take care of himself. If his blood sugar gets too low, he could have convulsions, headaches, become confused and his heart rate could become rapid or irregular. There are so many more things that he could suffer from too. What if his blood sugar gets too low and we can't get to him? He could fall into a coma."

"Hey, hey," Emily comforted. "Reid is a genius and he won't let himself get to that point. It's okay to worry but you know that he's going to want you not to worry so much that it makes you sick."

Morgan came into room with Rossi. Both of them carried containers full of coffee in their hands. Morgan came over to the bed before facing the others. "I'm going to need some time alone with him when he wakes up."

"Why?" JJ asked.

"They need to become brothers again," Rossi said. "Trust me, they both may be stubborn as hell but they can apologise to each other or have my boot up their asses."

**Please review**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you all for sticking with our story, we appreciate each and every one of you. I hope you all will continue to enjoy Gothina234 and my creation.-Autumnamberleaves.**

Reid looked up as he heard someone clearing their throat. Rossi and Morgan stood expectantly at his bedside and the genius only then realized that his other teammates had left the room upon receiving the promised coffee. Inanely, he wondered if his coffee habit had come to a sudden halt. If Reid wasn't a profiler, and if he wasn't a third smart as he truly was, he might be able to believe that his friends were trying to spare him the sight and smell of presently doctor vetoed coffee. He knew better though and didn't bother to hide his sigh.

"Thank you for taking me here, Morgan. You did your duty of 'helping baby Reid'. Go me." Reid made to turn onto side and face the opposite wall but was stopped with a firm pressure on his shoulder. He truly didn't know how firm the pressure was, as he was still rather weak, not that he would admit to that.

"Stop that." Rossi said sternly and brought him out of his musings. The older agent presently had his hands on Reid's shoulders and didn't look impressed. If Reid's superior memory served him right as per normal, he didn't recall Rossi having had looked at him like that since he had met him for the first time.

"Rossi, man, it's okay. If he doesn't want to talk, it's fine. He's sick." Morgan offered.

"I'm right here; please stop referring to me in the third person." Reid scowled.

"Listen Reid. I know that you feel like crap and that your world has suddenly been turned upside down, but you have to stop taking it out on others." Rossi tried to be the voice of reason as he patted the genius's shoulder, his hand still firmly placed on the young man.

Apparently, Reid was not in the mood for rational thinking and succeeded in shrugging off the older agent's hand. "Stop. I did not ask for you to stay, just as I didn't ask for Morgan to come to my apartment."

"Reid, Kid. You were practically comatose when Prentiss and I took you here. You could have died!" Morgan would never forget the sight of his best friend looking so close to death.

"Right, like you would have cared! Ha! You didn't trust me enough to believe that I hadn't turned back to drugs, which if I might add, I didn't after Emily 'died' or when the only woman who has loved me was murdered in my face so why would I do so now?!" Reid yelled as Morgan and Rossi winced at the youngest team member's voice.

"Listen here, Spencer. Derek was concerned about you. Like it or not, drugs will always be a temptation for you, and he was just trying to have your back," Rossi said as he held up his hand to forestall Reid from interrupting-"Yes, he should have done so in a different manner," He pointed a glare at Morgan, "but he wasn't trying to be cruel."

"Not trying to be cruel," Reid scoffed, "If he wasn't trying to be cruel, what's this hand print on my arm doing here?" He offered up the offending arm to Rossi.

A dark purplish-red hand print stood stark against his otherwise pale skin. Rossi stood impassively and stole a glance at Morgan. The dark skinned agent was bowing his head in shame. When he spoke, it was with a shaky voice.

"Reid. Man. Kid. I am so sorry. I know this isn't enough, but I didn't mean to hurt you. It's just you're my little brother and I would hate myself if I let anything happen to you. And if that means having to protect you from your darkest demon, so be it, I will." Morgan bent over Reid's bed and touched his back. "When you got kidnapped and then the aftermath of that, I thought we had lost you for good, but we got you back and then the lung infection and you being shot three times I might add, I just don't want to lose my brother." Morgan knew he was not being his normal self but he would be damned if he had to face his brother's funeral.

Spencer looked appropriately chastened and examined his fingernails as if he had never seen them before. His voice was weak as he finally spoke. "Morgan, I know you didn't mean to hurt me. Truthfully, your hand didn't hurt me really. I just hate that I'll always be a druggie. Even when I'm not using and I haven't used since that night from Hell when I quit over eight years ago, I'll be nothing but a druggie." He hung his head in shame.

"Spencer, granted, I didn't know you when all that went down, but the kid that I know is a strong man who despite being in considerable pain, refused the one thing that could help him at the time, who faced three different shootings without anything to dull the pain and wins every morning when he wakes up and refuses to lose his mind to the numbing bliss of drugs. That kid is no more a druggie than I am a pole dancer." Rossi finished with a joke and was rewarded with both of the younger agents giving him a grin.

"Really, Rossi? A pole dancer!" Morgan snorted through laughter. Reid's grin grew and he struggled to sit up straighter, Morgan helped him sit the rest of the way and pressed the bed's controls to raise the head.

"Rossi, as a pole dancer, that would be like Hotch in a corset!" Spencer ribbed. He laughed at his own joke and the other two agents joined in.

"So, Kid. Are we good?" Morgan asked, getting back to the matter at hand.

"Yeah, we're good." Reid replied, laying back on the pillow and closing his eyes briefly. He grimaced in pain before settling a smile on his face. Both Rossi and Morgan moved in closer and stared at the young genius.

"You feelin' okay, Kid?" Morgan asked, positioning his hand over the nurse's call button. Reid nodded and swallowed.

"Yeah, I feel okay, just a bit shaky. I'll probably feel like this until my blood sugar levels out. If my calculations are correct, I'll probably be tested in a moment. The doctor told me they were giving me supper soon. I missed the normal supper time but they took care of my insulin and blood sugar while I was out."

No sooner had he spoken, a knock sounded at the door before a petite nurse with black curly hair entered. "Mr. Reid-"

"DOCTOR Reid," Rossi and Morgan lightheartedly corrected in unison. The nurse to her credit only smiled and continued.

"Dr. Reid, I need to test your blood sugar really quick so we can calculate how much insulin to give you for dinner. We'll calculate it for now but in your yet-to-be scheduled classes, you'll learn how to calculate it as well. I know it sounds hard, but it will become easier with time." The nurse, Nurse Macy, rattled off and stared when she noticed all three men lightly laughing.

"What's so funny?" She good naturedly jibbed. She had been concerned a few minutes before going into the room as she had heard raised voices but that thankfully had let off and given way to as much light heartedness as a hospital could bring.

"Dr. Reid here is a literal genius. He'll be able to do the calculations in his sleep." Rossi answered with a smirk.

Macy's eyes grew. "Wow, that's impressive, Dr. Reid," she complimented her patient.

"Thank you but I don't think that intelligence-" he stopped when Morgan slid his hand over his mouth. His eyes twinkled so Macy knew that the agent meant no harm.

"Trust me. He's a genius." Morgan finished.

"Okay then. Let's take your blood sugar." Macy went back to the matter at hand. She held up a small black case and took out a small white thin rectangle with a rounded tip and a larger black rectangle. She then addressed Reid. "The first little devise is a lancet or simply known as a 'poker' to take your blood and the other," she gestured towards the black device, "is a glucose meter. You will learn what you prefer, but most people say that if you stick the side of your finger pad instead of directly on the finger pad it hurts less because-"

"There are less nerves in the side of the finger pad than there is on the actual pad." Reid finished for Macy.

"Yes, that's correct. I'll test you now and then later, we can work on you testing yourself. Also, the doctor will discuss this with you, but it might be prudent for your family…err…team" She glanced at Reid's chart and realized that he didn't have any family listed, "to learn how to as well."

"Damn right, we're all going to learn how to help him. Not only are we a team, but we're his family as well and family takes care of their own." Morgan responded with conviction.

"You guys don't need to do that, I'll be fine." Reid resisted, although he knew that resistance would be futile and that by the time that he was released from the hospital, that the entire team would be well trained to step in for him. He was almost embarrassed to admit it to himself, but his team's at times overbearingly protectiveness towards him warmed him. True, he had been incensed with it only just that morning, but now, it cheered him. Emotions when it applied to him, was one of the few things that confused the young genius.

"Like Hell." To Spencer's surprise, it was Rossi who spoke up first. "We're all going to be there for you, Kiddo." Somehow, Reid knew that the BAU godfather would be pulling some strings to help him and probably, knowing the older man, making sure he ate regularly, something that Reid readily admit he had a hard time remembering to do so.

"Okay, gentlemen, I hate to break up this little family fest, but I really do need to check your blood sugar." She nodded to Spencer. He nodded as she once again pulled out the lancet and swabbed his finger with an alcohol swab. "Tiny prick." She warned him.

True to Nurse Macy's word and to Reid's expectations, the needle only stung a tiny bit and the three agents watched as she pressed a testing strip to his finger where a small speck of blood wet it. "You thread the strip into the meter like this,"she made sure he could see how the tiny paper easily fed into it.

"165, so that's a little high, you want a pre-meal blood sugar level to be somewhere between 70 and 130 as an adult male. Just to let you know that you can eat almost a perfectly normal diet, having diabetes doesn't completely restrict you when it comes to food. However, it's a lot better than your admittance blood sugar level when it was 667, you are out of danger from the diabetic ketoacidosis and though your blood sugar is high, it's not bad. Though we consider 130 to be high, we don't worry until it gets to around 250. We would rather it be slightly high rather than low. After you take your blood sugar prior to a meal, you need to figure out how much insulin you need by doing a math equation that from what I gather, will be pretty easy for you but you do this." She prattled on with Reid giving her an understanding look whereas Rossi and Morgan looked completely lost. She began to try to explain in a simpler term only to have Reid kindly cut her off.

"I understand, I'll explain it to them. It's best to wait until all the team is here anyways, or I would be explaining the same thing repeatedly, which I admit, I don't mind at all, but I think they would." He weakly smiled at his reunited family as he laid his head back on the pillow. "I'll admit, I'll be glad when my blood sugar levels out."

"I see. Well, I'll be back with your insulin dose as well as drop off your meal. Normally we have aids to do that but as you missed dinner, you get special service." Nurse Macy left the room with a brief nod to the three agents.

"Wow, Kid, you'll have to do an algebra equation to be able to eat, not that that will be hard at all for you, but man, I hope you write it down for us if we ever have to give it to you," Morgan answered, still dazed at the information overload he had received.

"The equation, as you put it, isn't really that hard, and yes, I'll write it down for you guys, not that I expect you having to ever deal with it. A little warning though, even though the basic equation stays the same, the numbers to 'plug into' it, differ." Reid shrugged.

"Will you be able to eat the same things as before? I know she said you're diet wouldn't change too much but I wonder what changes will have to made." Rossi questioned, his love of cooking perking up. The Italian had never known someone with Type 1 Diabetes. He had encountered many Type 2 Diabetics but as he was quickly learning, the treatment was a lot different from it.

"Most things, yes, but I will have to change certain things." Reid vaguely answered, growing tired and hungry.

A knock sounded on the door to which Reid called out "come in."

"Oh I thought it was dinner." Reid quipped as he saw Prentiss and Garcia at the door. The room burst into laughter at his words. Reid had the grace to look embarrassed.

"Sorry! I didn't mean it that way! I'm glad to see you. Muffy has been keeping me company. Oh and Rossi and Morgan as well." Reid grinned at Garcia, attempting to not let the women see that he wasn't feeling up to par. The females weren't fooled however.

"Reid, we know you aren't feeling well, so cut the act." Garcia uncharacteristically rebuked him, "I am glad that Muffy is doing her duty as well as Morgan and Rossi as well." She reached behind her and pulled out a green and blue polka-dotted bag. "Here's something else I got you, I thought these might come in handy during your down time here. She set the gift bag on top of Reid's lap.

Reid reached a slightly shaking hand to the bag and sifted through the tissue paper. He quickly found the items hidden away in the package and lifted them from their confines.

"Thanks Garcia!" The bubbly blonde had gotten him six DVDs: Dr. Who: Last Christmas, Home Alone and Home Alone 2 as well as the three live action Alvin and The Chipmunks movies. He looked at her puzzled over her choices, he loved the thought and was appreciative but was intrigued over how she came to choose those particular movies.

As if reading his mind, and Reid had very little doubt that if the tech wanted to, she could, she answered his unspoken questions. "When I was sick growing up, my Mom and I would watch Christmas movies together on this little TV on a rolling stand that she'd roll into my room from its place in her room. It was so old, we'd have to hit the TV to get it to turn on, but faithfully, every time I had to spend a sick day in bed, we'd bundle up under the blankets and watch Christmas movies. You mentioned to me at one time, that you hadn't seen Home Alone and Home Alone 2 and they are super funny, so you can't not see them, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is my favorite Christmas movie. Just do yourself a favor, try not to profile Kevin, okay? I know it will be hard for you, Sweetcheeks. Dr. Who, well fellow Whovian, it just came out on DVD and it fit with the Christmas theme." Garcia explained in one breath.

"And the Chipmunk movies?" Prentiss had to admit she was curious to see why the eccentric woman had given their resident genius children's films.

"Well, it's really simple-"

The five agents were startled when Nurse Macy entered. "Ah, I see you have more visitors. I'll just pretend that I don't know what time it is and word to the wise, I saw the rest of your gang headed up the hallway but in any case, I'll only be able to hold off any curious Shift Leads as to why you have a lot of visitors when in fact, you are supposed to have none." She set a covered plate onto Reid's tray and pulled out the same black case from earlier. "You'll need to have three units of insulin according to what your blood sugar is and how many carbohydrates are in this meal." She explained as she grabbed a pen-looking injection and primed it by pressing on the button to release some insulin onto a napkin. "Little stick," she warned Reid and pressed it to his shoulder. A moment later she had finished and cleared up her supplies.

After she had left, Reid looked back at Garcia. "You were talking about the Chipmunk movies?" He questioned her. In response, Prentiss pushed the tray over to him.

"Eat while she's explaining." She admonished him. The genius nodded and removed the cover to reveal a sugar-free Jell-O cup, broth and some meat he couldn't identify as well as a roll. A carton of fat free milk completed the meal. He noticed his teammates looking distastefully at the so-called meal but to their credit, no one said anything.

"Alvin and the Chipmunks, while they are aimed at children, I thought you would like them. You have always reminded me of one of the chipmunks in the cartoons called Simon and for some strange reason, even more so in these movies." Garcia reached into her purse and pulled out a small beanie-baby of a Chipmunk in a blue shirt. "I thought Muffy could use a friend so I got you a Simon Chipmunk."

"Thanks Garcia, you know you don't have to do that, right?" Reid felt loved and a bit embarrassed at the attention he was getting.

"No problem, Junior G Man, it's my duty and honor to love on you."

Another knock on the door revealed Hotch and JJ who had been away taking care of Jack and Henry before leaving them in the care of Jessica and Will.

"We can't stay long. We ran into your nurse but, just wanted to see you before the night." JJ informed Reid as she took in the now crowded room. The movies caught her attention.

"Oh Henry loves the Chipmunk movies!" Hotch however caught eye of the Home Alone movies.

"I've always thought those movies were good indicators of child psychopaths." He smiled fondly, even as he said it, despite everything, he had the guilty pleasure of watching them both annually.

"I thought psychopaths couldn't be diagnosed before age eighteen?" Reid asked between a bite of a stale roll.

"Trust me. Kevin McCallister is the poster child for child psychopathy." Rossi grinned.

**I am so sorry for being so late with this chapter! I had yet another flare from RA, and then my niece (ironically the same niece that inspired this story) had a major mishap with her insulin and it caused her to go low and I had to help with that. I hope you liked the light-heartedness as well as the somewhat informative nature of this chapter; I struggled to find a balance. Like the doctor and nurse, I don't want to bombard y'all with information all at once, so I figured basic bite-size pieces will be best. I included the parts about Garcia and her mom watching Christmas movies when she was sick as a child as a treasured real-life memory of my own. Home Alone 2 is my favorite movie and yes, I recognize that Kevin has "issues." Also, I just HAD to add the bit with Alvin and the Chipmunks. **

**Thank y'all for reading, we appreciate it!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone, Gothina234 here! I am sorry for the delay in posting this chapter but a very nasty flu took me down this month and I'm a bit behind on everything. I'm a lot better now and I also took some extra time on this chapter as I want to try to get all the medical aspects correct. Autumnamberleaves is absolutely amazing and has been helping me by giving me advice on the medical aspects which she has much more knowledge about than myself. Thanks again for supporting our story. Enjoy and we look forward to hearing from you all.**

**Thank you for all the brilliant reviews. We are so lucky to have you all. Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

Morgan watched as Reid slept in the hospital bed with his hair sprawled across the pillow and a content look on his face. The rest of the team had left to go home under Hotch's and Reid's orders. It was past midnight but Morgan couldn't fall asleep. Every time he tried, his mind flashed to the memories of Reid struggling to breathe in the back of the SUV and the way Reid had struggled to focus. He looked back down at the book that one of the nurses had lent to him but only managed a few minutes of reading when Nurse Macy came into the room. "I'm sorry to disturb you but I need to wake him and check his blood sugar."

"It's so late though," Morgan said as he looked at his watch to find that it was two am.

"The body doesn't follow our desired path," the nurse smiled gently. "He'll need to do this every night so I suggest that he sets an alarm. At least for the first few months of his condition. His blood sugar is something that must be watched closely and can't be allowed to go too low. For some time, the routine of checking his blood sugar and injecting his insulin will seem intrusive on his life but it will become routine and normal after a while."

"Before you wake him, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," the nurse said as she turned around to face him.

"It's about these classes where they will teach him to manage his diabetes. It would be incredibly helpful if my team could sit in on these classes. Would the doctor allow that?"

"It's not usual for so many people connected with a patient to come to the classes. I'll talk with the doctor and see what I can do. It's clear that you care a great deal for him and the more you know, the better you can care for him."

"Thank you," Morgan smiled.

Nurse Macy turned back around and gently shook Reid's shoulder. He let out a small moan before his eyes fluttered open. "What's going on?" he sighed before letting out a yawn.

"Sorry to do this but I need to check your blood sugar," Nurse Macy said sweetly before bringing out the lancet and bringing it down to Reid's finger. She pricked the side of his finger before bringing down the testing strip and soaking it with blood. Nurse Macy slid it into the glucose meter and waited for the result. "Your level is 135 so it's still over the normal range but it's at a good level for you to sleep. I need to give you another insulin injection though and you'll also be eating a small snack. I'll be back with your insulin units in a moment."

Nurse Macy turned to Morgan. "Keep him awake please.

"Don't worry," Reid smiled. "I'm the one usually sending him to sleep with statistics."

Nurse Macy let out a small giggle before leaving the room. Morgan turned to Spencer and gave him a small smile. "How are you doing?"

"Still shaky and tired," Spencer shrugged. "Have you got any sleep?"

"The sandman just doesn't want to visit me," Morgan said. "The team will be back tomorrow to see you. You do realise that you're going to be in here for a few days at least."

"I know," Reid sighed before letting out a yawn. "I still don't understand why this happened to me. I've been through a lot, I know that, and I just wanted a break. Now, I have to live with this condition for the rest of my life. Can I admit that I'm a little scared?"

"It's okay to feel scared," Morgan said. "I'm here to listen, kid. You can tell me anything."

"I'm scared of the fact that I don't have as much control over my life as I thought. It's taken a long time to become the man I am today. When I first came to the FBI, I was this scared young man surrounded by men who I knew would judge me on my age before getting a chance to know me. Now, I have new recruits tripping over themselves when they meet me. I've grown in my life and I thought I was in control of everything. This has shaken that belief. I'm at the mercy of my diabetes and I have to monitor myself to make sure I don't end up back in the hospital. It's not even the ending up in hospital part that concerns me. I hate worrying you all. If I end up here again, I'm going to have to see that same look of worry in all your eyes."

"We never fully have control over our lives, Reid. We don't control the next unsub that comes to our desks or the other cars on the road. Even our bodies aren't fully ours to control. I've seen people live the healthiest lives you could imagine but still end up with cancer. Control over ourselves is an illusion. We only have so much before it's out of our hands. We will always worry about you. Kid, even when you're walking around healthily with a jump in your step will we watch you like hawks. We'll keep an eye on you and we're going to put steps in place to make sure you don't end up in the condition you were before. We're your family. We've got your back."

"Thank you," Reid smiled gently.

Nurse Macy came into the room and proceeded to measure some insulin. "I'm also going to bring you a small snack in a moment to eat after I've given you the insulin. You usually wouldn't have a snack at night unless your blood sugar was low but you need to eat the snack as we're trying to stabilise you. After this, you can sleep till the morning without any more interruptions. You need your rest. While you're here in the hospital, I want you to know that you're going to be cared for but you must remember to maintain your care when you leave."

Nurse Macy squeezed some insulin into a napkin before priming the injection. "Small prick."

Reid was relieved when he had been given the insulin. It brought peace of mind to him that he could sleep till the morning. Nurse Macy brought out a small bar and handed it to him. "Eat all of this and have a good night."

"Thank you, nurse," Reid thanked. He tried to open the bar but found he had no strength in his fingers. Morgan leaned over and took the bar. He opened it and gave it back to Reid.

Nurse Macy gave them both a smile before leaving the room. Reid munched on the bar and decided to eat it quickly. He already felt the pull of sleep again. Once he had finished the bar, he drank from his water and leaned back into the pillow. "Morgan, thank you for staying with me."

"Any time, Reid. Go back to sleep."

It only took a matter of moments for Reid to fall back to sleep. His soft snores filled the room. Morgan walked to the bottom of the bed and grabbed a blanket. Bringing it over Reid, he also tucked Muffy into it for some strange reason.

* * *

**Morning**

Reid felt shaky as he was lifted out of bed. He had already received his morning insulin and meal and was now going to go to a class that would teach him how to live and handle his new diagnosis. Morgan caught him as his knees buckled. "Whoa! I got you."

"I still feel as if all the strength in my body is gone," Reid said as Morgan held him and guided him to a wheelchair.

"You're going to feel this way for a little while. Don't worry, I'm here."

Reid was settled into the wheelchair by Morgan and his legs covered with a blanket. Morgan pushed Reid out of the room and towards the elevator. Morgan couldn't help but ruffle Reid's bed head style hair. "How much grooming do you do in the morning?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out," Reid smirked as they entered the elevator.

Reid had to admit that he was intrigued with what he was about to learn. He knew some things about diabetes but he was interested in learning first hand what he was going to have to do. As they neared the room after leaving the elevator, he heard a lot of talking coming from inside. Morgan opened the door and Reid was surprised to find his entire team sitting in the room with a notepad in each of their laps. "What are you guys doing here?"

"You really think we're not going to learn how to care of you properly?" Emily smirked.

"I could just give you the notes," Reid said as he was parked next to the team. Garcia handed Morgan his own notepad and pen as he sat down.

"Besides, Reid," Hotch chuckled. "We couldn't let you always be top of the class."

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	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Hi! It's Autumnamberleaves writing this chapter. Sorry that it took a long time to get out. Real life has been hectic. To sandrajohansson144, thanks for the informative review, one of my nieces has it and I suppose there are several ways to prep for the BG reading, I've just been using the way that she does. Pretty short chapter today, but I thought that this was a good place to end it. As always, thank you all for reading. **

**Thank you for all the great reviews. Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**Apologies for any mistakes.**

Reid looked at his teammates all sitting at attention with their notebooks and pens at the ready. He didn't know why he was so surprised to see his family supporting and learning how to care for him, but yet, he had been independent his entire life. As much as it would be hard, he knew that he had to be willing to let go of the reins so to speak. He gave one last small grin and focused his attention to the doctor.

She began by the routine greetings and already known definition of what type one diabetes was. The team watched as she fished into a large carton and produced several items. Once she had set the materials on a table beside her, she addressed the team.

"One of the leading misconceptions about diabetes, is that a patient is extremely limited in what he or she may eat. This was old methodology when treating diabetes, particularly type one. However, in recent decades, a new method has become preferred. Using relatively simple math, we now train patients and their families to count carbs and dose insulin according to results." She reached onto the table and took out several sheets of paper and passed one to each agent. "If you look at this paper, it will give the basic formula into how to do this.

Each of the profilers stared at the papers, trying to comprehend the formula. They supposed that the trainer was correct, but to all but Reid, it seemed confusing. Hopefully, with time, they'd understand it.

"There has got to be an easier way!" Garcia spoke up, startling the rest of the team. "Reid, I'm going to make an App for this. Not that YOU need it, but we will!" She assured the genius.

Reid smiled uncomfortably, "Garcia, you really don't have to-"

"Save it Jr. G Man." The tech cut in.

"O. . .k then." Reid silenced.

A few minutes later, the team used disposable lancets to practice poking through skin in the extremely high odds that they'd need to do it for Reid.

"Hey look! Poking the side of your finger, really DOESN'T hurt!" Garcia squealed when she felt no pain whatsoever.

Morgan grunted. "That's because you just poked ME."

"Oh. Oops. Sorry my Chocolate Adonis."

* * *

The training session lasted for several more hours, taking an interim for lunch. Reid's lunch was brought into the room the team was sequestered in and Rossi, who had left an hour earlier, came in with lunch for the rest of the team.

"Man. . .that looks. . .irresistibly good." Reid eyed Morgan's Spicy Chicken Deluxe sandwich and waffle fries. Better than. . .whatever this is." He stared down at his own undesirable lunch. Why did hospitals have to serve such unappealing meals to pass as food?

"Well, Pretty Boy, tough this out for now but once you are stabilized and released, you can work almost anything into your diet." Morgan reminded his best friend of what the instructor had stated. "In fact, since I'll be staying with you for a while, I'll even take you to get your own." Morgan humored.

"Dr. Reid," a nurse walked into the room. "We need to check your blood sugar and administer your insulin. I thought perhaps, you would like to do the shots, to get used to it. A lot of people have a hard time with the idea of giving themselves needle shots."

In her haste to hand Reid the supplies that he would need, she missed the look shared with the team. "Er. . . I think I'll be able to handle it." Reid swallowed, trying to hide his discomfort.

The nurse blinked, realizing that the air had grown thicker in the room but she was clearly confused. She looked back at the young genius when he cleared his throat.

"You load the meter like this, correct?" He showed her, having remembered how they had done so in the past day. After receiving an affirmative answer, he took a quick breath and poked the side of his index finger. He quickly wiped the blood onto the meter's test paper and waited for the answer. "134." He said aloud.

Reid looked at the tray and saw the carbs posted on each item. He had been told his targets and quickly calculated his insulin intake.

"Three Units," he announced to no one in particular as he selected the correct amount on his pen. He brought the pen up to his arm-

_"I don't want it. NO, please, I don't want it." He stammered as the delusional man came at him with the needle and vial in hand. "It'll make it all better."_

_"Reid."_

_"REID."_

_What was that, Tobias didn't know his name? Did he?_

"Reid!" Morgan held Reid's face in his hands. "Snap out of it, Kid." It was all too obvious what Reid was flashing back to. If an auto-injector pen caused this reaction, what would happen if Reid's sugar ever got so low that he had to have his emergency insulin that came in needle and vial form?

"I'll get the doctor to give him-"

The nurse was already bustling out of the room.

"No." Rossi spoke for the whole team. He hadn't been with the team when Reid was fighting off that demon, but he knew simply drugging him again wouldn't help matters but rather harm them. "Let us calm him down."

The nurse bit her lip and looked at her patient who was already beginning to calm down as his eyes showed recognition once more.

"You're okay, Kid. You're not there anymore." Morgan soothed the sick genius as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Morgan?" Reid asked.

"Yeah, Kid, it's me. You trust me, right?" he asked his little brother.

"With my life." Reid gave a small smile.

"Let me do your insulin for you this time." At Reid's nod, Morgan picked up an alcohol swab and cleaned the injection spot before forcing himself to give his best friend the shot.

* * *

A few more days passed with Reid eventually being about to give himself insulin without his PTSD from his capture flaring up. It was early morning when Morgan showed up with Reid's go bag in tow.

"Ready to be sprung?" he joked the genius. "I saw your doctor gathering the release forms.

"You bet, I detest hospitals" Reid pulled a face as he glanced around him.

As if on cue, Reid's doctor came in with the paperwork. After getting assurances that Reid would attend his follow-up appointment the following week with his new Endocrinologist, he released the genius.

Morgan smirked as he reached around the curtain and rolled a wheelchair over to the brunette.

"Morgan, I'm ok, I don't need that." Reid grimaced.

"No can do, Kid, hospital rules." Morgan laughed as Reid huffed and gingerly sat down, clutching his patient bag and new insulin kit. He didn't have a meter yet, and insurance wouldn't cover it for at least six months post diagnoses, but the kit held a new lancet and meter as well as testing supplies.

"Morgan, why are we at your house?" Reid wondered as the older agent pulled into a newly renovated ranch-style house.

"Well, Kid, I was going to crash at your place for a few days, but my home is bigger and besides, the girls are fixing up your apartment, getting it stocked with food. They also said something about redecorating something." Morgan laughed at Reid's obvious discomfort.

"Who's idea was it to redecorate?" Reid hoped his guess would be wrong.

"Garcia."

"Oh crap."

**Please review**

**Thank you all for reading. If anyone is curious, Garcia poking Morgan was inspired by my Mom accidentally poking my step-dad last year when we were all learning to deal with my niece's T1D and I HAD to include that.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone, Gothina234 here and here is the next chapter which I hope you all enjoy. Sorry for making you all wait but I've had a very busy and stressful few weeks and I've had a little trouble which I'm trying to push past. I'm the reason the chapter is so later. I hope that you all like reading this chapter and I hope all the information is correct. I need to thank autumnamberleaves for all her wonderful knowledge and support and for putting up with my constant questions. Enjoy and we look forward to hearing from you all.  
**

**Thanks for all the reviews. You're all great and brilliant. Again, sorry for delay in posting this chapter. Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

Morgan stood in his kitchen early in the morning and had no idea what he was going to cook Reid for breakfast. Even though the doctor had explained that Reid could eat almost as normally as he had before, multiple worries came to Morgan's mind. He walked over to the fridge and checked all the nutrition guidelines. Morgan walked into Reid's room to find his friend sleeping soundly. Even after his stay in hospital, Reid still didn't look completely like his old self. He was still pale and the dark circles under his eyes still drew the most focus.

"Hey, kid," Morgan spoke gently as he shook Reid's shoulder. "It's time for you to wake up."

"Just ten more minutes," Reid moaned as he tried to curl back into his covers.

"Nah, kid, you've got to rise and shine. I will lift you up over my shoulder if you don't. You've got to take your blood sugar and we've got figure out what you can have before I make you breakfast."

Reid brushed his hand through his hair and rose up from the bed. He swayed a little before being steadied by Morgan. "I'm fine. I'm just still feeling a little frail."

Morgan put his arm around Reid and helped Reid into the kitchen and to the kitchen table. He collected the pouch that contained everything Reid needed to test his blood sugar and handed it over. "Um, Morgan," Reid squinted. "Can you get my glasses from my bag? I don't have my contacts with me."

"Sure," Morgan nodded before going to the room and collecting the glasses. He passed them to Reid and noticed the glasses he wore were new. "It's been a while since I've seen you in glasses. When did you get the new ones?"

"I needed a change," Reid shrugged as he loaded the meter with the test paper. He used a disposable lancet to stab the side of his finger and brought the test paper up to let his blood soak it. He placed the meter on the table and waited for the result. The meter beeped and he looked at it. "115," Reid yawned. "What were you thinking for breakfast? I need to work out my insulin units."

"I'm not sure," Morgan frowned as he browsed all the labels. "The doctor said we had to limit your carbs to about 100/carbs for meals and I don't want send your blood sugar out of control again."

"How about fruit and yoghurt?" Spencer suggested. "They are both full of healthy carbohydrates."

"Simple breakfast," Morgan nodded as he reluctantly put down the bacon. He wanted to fry himself up a good breakfast but he wanted to be fair with Reid.

"Morgan, you can eat the bacon. Don't sacrifice your food urges and cravings for me. Please, go ahead and cook up some crispy bacon."

Reid measured out the insulin he needed and began rolling up his sleeve.

Morgan closed the fridge after pulling out some bacon, eggs, mushrooms and other items along with a selection of fruit and some yoghurt. He saw Reid flinch slightly as he injected himself with his insulin dosage. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Reid nodded to him. "I just don't like having to inject myself. Can I have some coffee?"

"I'll fix you some up," Morgan said before looking to the table as his phone began to ring. He picked it up as he poured Reid a cup of coffee from the ready pot.

"Hello, Morgan," Garcia said cheerily down the phone. "How is he doing this morning?"

"He's a little shaky but he's doing better," Morgan assured her as he mixed a few sugars into Reid's coffee and walked it over. Reid gave him a thankful smile before he returned to making breakfast. "He's got his coffee now and I'm making him some fruit and yoghurt for breakfast."

"Morgan, please tell me that you used Splenda instead of sugar," Garcia said urgently.

Morgan turned and rushed to the table as Reid was about to take his first sip. He grabbed the coffee from him and threw it down the sick. "What the hell, Morgan?"

"Thanks, Baby girl," Morgan sighed in relief. "That was close. I'll have to pick up some Splenda."

"Second cupboard from the sink. I did some shopping while Reid was in hospital and I knew he would be staying with you. I'll be with you shortly as I'm not that far away. I wanted to come and see him. We're going to work out a meal plan for Reid. Make him a decaf coffee too. I did some research and it said that caffeine makes it harder for people to control their blood sugar."

"I'll see you soon," Morgan said. "Bye, Baby girl."

Morgan disconnected the call and turned to Reid. "I'm sorry. I almost gave you sugar and it would have sent your blood sugar haywire. I'll make you another one with Splenda. Garcia is on her way over too. I'm sorry. I've made you coffee the same way for nearly a decade. Bad habit to break."

"Morgan, it's okay. This is a learning curve for all of us. I would like nothing more than to have whatever food I want but I've got to be careful now. That's going to be hard with Garcia's baked goods."

Garcia walked into the house to find Reid quickly filling out the daily crossword puzzle. She walked over and kissed the top of his head. "Hey, sweetie."

"Morning, Garcia," Reid smiled as he instantly felt the effect of Garcia's cheery attitude wash over him.

She stole one of his strawberries and bit into it as she took a seat. Placing a tablet on the table, she opened up a daily schedule app and looked up as Morgan sat down with his plate of eggs, bacon and other fried assortments. "If I was to call you strongest man in the world, would that gain me a piece of crispy bacon?" Garcia pouted playfully.

Morgan handed her some crispy bacon. "I can't resist you and you know it."

Garcia quickly ate the bacon before turning back to the tablet screen. "We're going to work out a schedule for snacks and meals which we can adapt if needed for your blood sugar level, Reid. I need you to bring forth that wonderful memory. You're allowed 100/carbs a meal per the doctor's instructions and 15 for snacks. Tell me some healthy high carb foods."

"Yoghurt, fruit, nuts, whole grains, vegetables, and legumes which are beans. Unhealthy high carb foods are cake, flour, dried fruit, cereal, bread products, jams and potato items. There is also a lot more food I could list but I can't be too sure of the carbs in them. Surely, we can find a good balance between the two.

"We're replacing your sugar with Splenda, your normal soy milk with skim soy milk and you're going to be on a strict food timetable."

Morgan picked up his phone as a thought popped into his mind and typed a question into google. He frowned when he began to read the information. "Maybe giving you fruit wasn't a good idea."

"What do you mean?" Garcia asked.

"Fruits have natural sugars and per 100 grams, they're pretty damn high."

"I don't have 100 grams worth in my bowl," Reid pointed out. "Plus, Garcia stole a strawberry. Look, I'm going to keep an eye on my levels. I can't be afraid of every plate of food I have. This is what the meal plan is going to help with."

"I'm printing out copies for everyone once we're done and everyone with receive a digital copy," Garcia said as she typed a note about natural sugars at the side of the schedule grid. "Okay, let's do this."

* * *

**Two weeks later**

Reid had returned to work a few days ago and was happy to get back to work. It gave him something to focus on but he still felt uncomfortable with having to take his blood sugar at work. He usually made his way into Garcia's office to take his blood sugar and take his insulin. The other agents around him knew of his condition and had been given a talk on how to deal with him if he suffered a complication from his Diabetes. There was also a small space in the kitchen area's fridge which Garcia had cornered off for him with items that he could eat and drink safely.

He had been working for a few hours when he began to feel strange. He tried to shake it off but found his handwriting suffering as his hands began to tremble. Reid didn't even register Garcia's arrival as he tried to shake off weak feeling that suddenly surged through him.

Garcia was about to say hello to Reid when she noticed his hands and body shaking. She turned his chair around and cradled his face in her hands. "Reid, are you okay?"

"Don't feel good," he admitted. "Think my blood...sugar dipped."

Everyone had left for lunch to her knowledge. It was the reason she had come over. She had wanted to see if he wanted to come with them to get some lunch. Hotch came out of his office and caught her eye. "Hotch!"

Hotch quickly made his way down the stairs to her. "Is he okay?"

"No, I think his blood sugar has dipped. There are some juice drinks in the fridge that I got just for him. Please get one while I check his blood sugar."

As she grabbed his pouch and began preparing the meter, Garcia noticed that Reid was beginning to slip out of his chair so straightened him up and held his head. "Hey, Reid. Focus on my voice."

Garcia brought out a disposable lancet and pricked the side of finger. She let the blood cover the testing paper and inserted it into the meter. Her eyes widened at the result. "Hotch, he's at 65. It's way too low."

Hotch came back with the juice already opened and put it to Reid's lips. "Drink up. Come on."

"There we go," Garcia smiled as Reid began to gulp down the juice. She brought up a tissue as some juice spilled down his chin and wiped it away. Reid finished the juice but still felt shaky. "Hotch, let's get him to your office and then I can test his blood sugar again.

Hotch helped Reid to his feet and supported him as they took him to his office. Reid was still out of it and it was a worrying sight. Hotch got him inside the office and laid him down on the couch. Garcia quickly worked on preparing to take his blood sugar again. The juice he had been given had fast acting sugar in. She tested blood sugar again and shook her head as the result came back as 75. "Hotch, I have candy in my office. It's something I got just for this. It's just for him and it's got the sugar he needs too. Top draw on the right side of my desk area."

"I'll be right back."

Hotch rushed out of the room to the Garcia's office. Garcia kept a close eye on Reid as he continued to tremble. "You'll feel better soon, I promise."

Hotch came back with the candy and let Garcia take the lead. He was amazed at her quick ability to take control and was certain she had spent most of her spare time learning more about Reid's diabetes. He watched her as she gave Reid the candy and made sure he didn't choke on it. She waited a minute and tested his sugar level again. "It's still low. It's only 90. He doesn't need his emergency insulin though which is good."

"Stay with him and I'll be back as soon as I can," Hotch said as he pulled out his phone. "I'll let the others know what's going on."

"Can you get him something to eat? Anything from the set meal plan we have for him is good. I want him to eat something soon. The sooner his blood sugar levels out then the sooner we can get him back to his old self."

"You did an amazing job," Hotch smiled before leaning down and giving her shoulder a squeeze. "I'll be back soon."

Hotch walked out of the room and closed the door to give Reid and Garcia privacy. Garcia sat by Reid's side as he began to focus again over the next few minutes. "Hey, baby boy. You're okay. Hotch is getting you something to eat and your blood sugar is back up."

"I'm sorry for being a bother," Reid blinked as he began to breathe normally.

"You're not a bother," she smiled before kissing his forehead. "Try not to scare me like that again."

"Can't promise anything," Reid said truthfully.

"I know," she sighed before holding his hand. "I know."

* * *

**Two hours later**

Hotch glanced up from his paperwork every few minutes to check on Reid who was asleep on the couch. They had managed to get his blood sugar to a normal and safe level and Hotch had decided to give Reid the rest of the day to rest. The genius had protested but Hotch wanted him to take it easy. All Reid's paperwork was completed and the phone consults he had left, the team had shared out between themselves. He looked up again as Reid woke up from his small nap.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep," Reid yawned as he pulled himself up. "I'm sorry."

"Your body obviously needed it."

"Why won't you let me go back to work?"

Hotch put down his pen. "Reid, you can't push yourself and your body is still getting used to this new way of life. You've done more than enough work today. My job is to look after you and it is a job that I don't mind. You scared us all earlier. Besides, I let you do any work and I'll have to face the wrath of Garcia. I would rather face an unsub than face her wrath."

Reid let out a small smiled before looking at Hotch. "Thanks for looking after me."

"It's what family does."

**Please review**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N I am so incredibly sorry about the long delay in getting this chapter out to you. First, I went on vacation to Disney World and then I was sick and lastly, my computer died, but I'm back with a new laptop and a new chapter for all of y'all!-Autumn**

It was two weeks since Reid had returned to the BAU. He had since moved back into his own apartment once Garcia was done with the "modifications," as she had worded the changes. She had enlisted Morgan to rearrange the furniture to have a clear walkway to the door at all times, in case he became ill and needed help fast. She had also installed a multi-functional panel on his wall that would remind him to eat (for all his genius, Reid was admittedly lax in that aspect), and to test himself. It included a voice-activated feature that would automatically dial 911 and Garcia herself.

* * *

Reid pondered the life changes he had to make as he walked out of the subway on his way to work. He sipped his piping hot, Splenda-laden coffee as he journeyed to the FBI building. It had been a struggle to be able to be independent as every member of the team wanted him in their sight. It hadn't helped that he had a low blood sugar incident the very first day that he had returned to work, but that couldn't be helped now. It had been the only such incident at work, and Reid hoped his luck would hold. He did wonder how it would be the first time they had to go travel for a case-peculiarly they had been in the office the entire two weeks since his return. Not that his boss ever said, but Spencer was certain Hotch had a hand in that and probably had passed cases to other teams to allow him time to get used to his new life.

At long last, he arrived at the famed FBI building and swiped his badge as he made his way into the office. A short elevator ride later and he arrived on the BAU floor.

"Hi, Prentiss!" the genius greeted as he swung his messenger bag to the floor next to his desk.

"Hey, Reid," she returned in kind as she glanced at him. She held his gaze for a moment until the genius laughed self-consciously.

"Do I have coffee on my face or something?" Reid brushed once of his hands up to wipe at his face.

"No, no, it's just, well, you are looking much healthier." It was true, too. Since being diagnosed he had been able to gain some of his sorely needed weight back. He still had a long way to go as he had already been underweight before he had become sick and it had only made things worse.

"Nah, I think Pretty Boy needs to gain some muscle," Morgan cut in as he walked towards them. Reid jumped slightly and he felt his heart jump-he hadn't seen Morgan come in and had been startled. "Come on, Kid, I'll coach you at the gym, we can start this week!" the older agent jibbed.

"No, thanks, I'm perfectly happy being the geeky nerd and you being the muscle of the group." Reid groused in good nature.

Proving how good his ears were, Hotch joined the small group from where he had been talking with Rossi, who wandered over a moment later. "I think you should take Morgan up on his offer Reid." His boss made it seem like it wasn't a request. "Your doctor said you needed exercise to help to balance out your blood sugar besides the fact that it's simply healthy."

Reid sighed, how did he manage to go over ten years at the BAU without any regular exercise routine to suddenly be thrust into it. Such as his life, he guessed.

"Enough about that now, though, we have a case." Hotch announced and the group assembled into the conference room.

Garcia was already inside the room and pointed her remote at the screen while almost-theatrically closing her eyes. "This is, or was, Ryan Young." Two pictures of the victim appeared onto the screen. In the first, a young man of about twenty-five with sandy blond hair stared happily at the screen with a golden retriever at his side. In the second, the same man stared blankly ahead, slash marks covering his torso and sporting an obviously broken neck. "He was last seen hiking on the Rocky Mountains in Colorado," some other hikers had been alerted to his body when his dog began howling. He's the third young man to have been found with the same MO in the area. The other two," four more pictures appeared on the screen, all similarly featured as Ryan, "Tyler Jones and Brendan Baker, were found two and three months ago respectively. Each of them were missing for a month before they were found."

Reid, "So, assuming that the Unsub takes one victim and keeps him for one month before dumping and replacing him, we can assume that he is patient and organized. Garcia, were the broken necks the cause of death?"

"For Tyler and Brendan, yes, but the ME hasn't concluded his autopsy of Ryan." The tech answered the resident genius.

The team discussed a few more details before Hotch pushed himself up from the table and declared "Wheels up in thirty!" As the profilers piled out of the room, the unit chief caught Reid's attention. "Not to irritate you, but before we take off, I need you to test your blood sugar, altitude can affect your blood sugar, undoubtedly you already know that but I still wanted to make it clear. I know you hate us babying you but we're not and in any case it's my job as Unit Chief to ensure the health and safety of all my agents." Hotch said in a firm but gentle voice that seemed only he could manage.

"Yes Sir." Reid agreed, he hadn't expected anything less. He smiled, a shy and hopeful one that when he was a new agent, had graced his features but was seldom seen now as life had chipped away at it.

* * *

As promised, Reid checked his blood sugar and found it to be satisfactory before the jet had taken off. He would have to check it mid-flight, he figured, but for now it was fine. He settled into a seat next to Prentiss as Garcia's face appeared on the team member's tablets. Prentiss had angled her own so that Reid, well known for his love of paper files that meant he didn't own a tablet, could see.

"The results of Ryan Young's autopsy came back; his cause of death was also the broken neck." Garcia informed the traveling team.

"Ok, when we arrive, I want JJ and Rossi to go talk to Ryan's family, Morgan and Prentiss, to the latest crime scene, Reid and I have the ME." Hotch gave out the assignments. He would have had Reid go to the victim's house but he was still hesitant to have Reid in the field quite yet. He knew that his youngest agent was aching to get back into the field, but whether it was the Unit Chief or the father inside of him, Hotch wanted to protect him. The genius had already had more than his share of troubles, and it was almost impossible to allow him to be the agent that he had proven himself to be.

* * *

Reid followed his boss inside the chilly morgue. He noticed that the young Asian Medical Examiner was wearing lilac colored scrubs, and wondered inanely if that was the only color that MEs wore.

"We've already received the autopsy reports on the three victims but was there anything else significant that you found," Hotch asked the worker.

"Nothing, other than, judging by the pattern of the cuts, I'd say that they were made by some sort of animal. Perhaps a bear. As for their broken necks, each victim's third and fourth vertebra were shattered and their fifth was bent at a 90-degree angle. I'd say, once their necks were broken, death was instant."

"Each victim was found at the bottom of a cliff of the mountain. Since the odds are 1,00,00,000,000 to 1 that they'd each have the same exact injury from falling and also that no other bones were broken, it's highly doubtful that they fell off the mountain or rather that they were pushed. Do you have any ideas of what possibly could have caused their injuries?" Reid questioned, rummaging through his messenger back for a note pad and pen.

"No, other than I found circular bruising on each of their necks, so they were hit with something but I wasn't able to place what it was. Too big to be a hammer, to asymmetrical to be a baseball bat, and so forth."

After about thirty minutes, the ME had no more news for the pair of agents and Hotch decided that it was time to meet with the other team members. Hopefully they had had better luck than he or Reid did.

"All right, thank you for your time and we'll be in touch." Hotch acknowledged the woman as he and his agent left the morgue.

"We'll meet with the others at the station and then break for dinner." Hotch decided, looking at the clock. It was nearing six pm and gone were the days where his team could simply postpone dinner until late in the night. It was fine though as they often had working dinners.

"Hotch, it's early and we just got here." Reid offered up a feeble objection. He didn't like to feel that he was the one to have to hold up an investigation simply so he could eat.

"We're meeting and then breaking for dinner." Hotch simply informed the genius.

* * *

Unfortunately, the other team members didn't have any more luck than Hotch and Reid had. There were simply too much they didn't know at the moment. But they would solve it, they always did.

As if on cue, a deputy of the station, deputy Jonathan Lewis, walked into the room the team was using. Most of the team was scattered around the table looking at the crime scene photos whereas Reid was standing in front of the geographical map he had plotted. The team glanced at him from time to time but he had yet to have that all too familiar gleam in his eyes that signaled the genius had figured out something important.

"I was sent in here to find out what your team wanted for dinner," Deputy Lewis said with no small amount of annoyance. To the team, he didn't seem to even be trying to hide his disgust at having to play host to the group of feds.

"What's close by?" JJ asked, hoping that showing that they cared enough to make it easy would help lighten his mood.

No such luck. "We have Cracker Barrel three miles to one direction and Top's Chinese four miles in another." He held out two worn pamphlets for both.

"Well, we can place an order and one of us go and grab it," Prentiss assured the annoyed man.

"No, you can't. My boss, Sergeant Thomas Cox put me on 'food duty,' he rolled his eyes as he spoke.

The team looked at each other. Silently they all hoped that Deputy Lewis was the only officer that they would encounter who had a bad attitude. It always made investigations so much harder when there was hostility between them and the locals. "I think, Cracker Barrel, would be fine," Hotch glanced at the team who all nodded. Hotch accepted the proffered pamphlet and passed it around his team. Each of the members made their selections as the paper was passed and ended up with Reid who stared at it in soft dismay. "Um, is there an online menu?" He asked the room in general.

JJ caught onto what he was implying quickly. "No, sorry Spence, there isn't." She disappointingly responded to him after she had pulled up the site on her tablet. The agents noticed the deputy tabbing his foot impatiently.

"Hey, chill out, we'll be done in a moment." Morgan said in Reid's defense.

Embarrassed by the attention he was receiving, Reid softly sighed and chose something at random. "Um, the grilled chicken tenderloins and the cooked baby carrots sound good." He gulped and made one final request, "If it's no trouble, please see if they have a nutritional guide brochure there."

Deputy Lewis openly sighed at that request, waited until JJ placed the order and slunk out of the room.

The entire team, save Reid, was glaring at the back of the arrogant deputy as he went to pick up the food. They watched as he grabbed his jacket and made his way out of the building.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I will be glad to solve this case and leave that deputy far away." Rossi announced. He had seen his fair share of deputies who had an attitude for the simple reason that the FBI had been called into to solve their case, but it always was annoying. He couldn't help but think that Lewis would be a problem.

* * *

After twenty minutes, the sullen deputy returned with the promised food and his trademark look of annoyance. He plumped the bags onto the table with a small thud and shoved a brown sheet of paper at the resident genius. "You watching your girlish figure? Not anorexic enough?" He snidely remarked. He didn't realize all of the glares he was getting from five of the agents, the one he was addressing simply stared at him in a "beyond bored" expression. "If I was anorexic, I likely would not be endeavoring to eat and also I would be secretive as to not ask for a nutritional guide in front of my teammates who, by the way, would have noticed a long time before now that I had an eating disorder and it is doubtful that I'd be here and not in treatment inpatient somewhere." He calmly stated even as he could see Morgan's fists balling up.

"Ok, if you aren't anorexic-which I'm still betting you are, then are you some sort of patsy?" Deputy Lewis looked at him and cackled. Morgan, having had grown tired of the behavior of the cop shrugged off Hotch's arm that until that moment, he hadn't even realized was laying atop of his own arm, and stepped towards Lewis and his best friend.

"What he is, is a FBI agent with three doctorates who will always outrank you and you had best show him some respect." Every word that Morgan spoke was spat out like some sort of disgusting medicine. If the cop had any sense of self-preservation, he would heed Morgan's words.

Deputy Lewis had no sense of self-preservation the team discovered. The cop openly stared at Reid, who had figured out how many carbs he was ingesting and was preparing to press the injection button on his insulin pen as he felt it being yanked out of his hands, causing the needle to plunge into his arm and tear a cut but not inject any insulin. "Erugh!" He muttered as it stung.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" he cried out as the other man ran to the door with his life sustaining medicine. The BAU team, at first startled frozen came alive again and the team quickly ran out of the door and into the station's small bullpen. Lewis was crossing over it and ramming his fist on his superior's door. They easily caught up with him.

"Yes, Lewis?" Sergeant Cox's voice came out a sigh and it was obvious to the profilers Cox had no small amount of impatience dealing with Lewis.

"I knew invited the feds was a bad idea! Look, one of them is openly doing drugs!" He triumphantly held out the injection pen.

For the second time in less than that many minutes the team was frozen. Except for Reid. HE was doubled over in laughter. "You-you-you think this is recreational drugs?" Uncharacteristically, he could barely get the words out. His proclamation unfroze his teammates who joined in the laughter. Cox, who had been thrust the pen by his subordinate was too busy giving the lousy cop the stink eye to his employee to say anything to the chortling team.

Lewis still showed he was not the brightest person in the room as he huffed to his boss. "Sergeant Cox, see the other agents are enabling the druggie by joining in his laughter! You know what, they all should be-they all should be arrested!" The slightly pudgy balding deputy exclaimed in no shortage of disgust.

Sergeant Cox thrust up his hands in annoyance. "Lewis, you are a disgrace to our station and to our profession! Before you go accusing fellow law enforcement, especially those that outrank you by a lot, of illegal activity, perhaps you should first investigate matters much more thoroughly!" Cox turned to the BAU agents while shaking his head. "Agent Reid, here's your insulin pen back. I suggest you go eat while I deal with Lewis here."

"Insul-iiin?" Lewis questioned, his face turning white.

"Yes, insulin! If you had not made such erroneous and wild claims, you would have seen the script label!" Hotch couldn't help but spit out. He knew he should keep his cool so the team could focus on the case but after hearing the genius being called a 'junkie,' he didn't feel inclined to do so. He knew his team and he knew that Reid would undoubtedly be filled with self-regret over past transgressions.

"That scrawny beanpole is diabetic! Ha, he doesn't look diabetic!" Lewis tried to refute.

"Agent Dr. Spencer Reid has a form of diabetes that anyone and everyone can get. Now, I suggest if you don't want us to write you up-mind you, in addition to whatever punishment Sergeant Cox decides upon, you will not interfere any longer." Rossi ground in.

Prentiss, who had been glaring at the chastised cop heard a slight noise and looked around. Not seeing anything she glanced at her teammates, all but one looking like they wanted to pummel a certain deputy. The one who was no longer paying Lewis any mind was the one who had caught her attention.

Reid was staring at the floor, no longer laughing. His face was paling in front of her eyes and she noticed a slight tremor throughout his body.

"Reid?"

"I think I need to eat." His voice was soft as he absentmindedly continued, "I'll need to test again, rework my units."

"Your arm needs to be tended to as well." Prentiss stared at the angry cut and abruptly straightened up. "Guys. We need to eat. Right now." She announced to the group, giving a side eye to the genius.

IF ever there were magic words to pull the team from disciplining the stray cop themselves, these were it.

"Pretty Boy, you okay?" Morgan rushed to where Reid was shifting on his feet as if drunk.

"Let's get you sitting down." No sooner had he said the words, Cox was out of his desk chair and rolling it to where the young agent stood.

"Here, use this. I'll go grab your food," he offered and then realized one member of the team, he thought it was JJ was already out of the room. "If you'll excuse me, Lewis and I are going to have a little chat in my boss's office." He practically dragged the arrogant man out of the room.

"Here, Spence, here's your kit." JJ retrieved the lancet and meter from it. Reid's hands shook as he struggled to put in a needle into the lancet.

Having enough of seeing the poor boy struggling, Rossi stepped up and inserted the needle for the genius. "Ready?" he asked a moment later.

"Rossi, you don't have to-" Reid protested.

"Oh contra, but I want to do this for you." Rossi looked at Reid expectantly. The young agent slowly nodded, giving in.

"Good agent." Rossi softly gibed as he poked Spencer's finger and then pressed it up to the meter.

"70. Low but not dangerously so. If you eat now, it shouldn't be a problem." Rossi knew he was simply saying things that his young friend already knew but he couldn't help it.

"I need to recalculate my insulin dose," Reid stated, "it will be a much lower dose." Even weakened, the genius quickly figured out the new dose and waited patiently for Rossi to inject it into his arm. That task quickly completed, and the team finally sat down to enjoy their meal, all keeping a careful eye on their youngest.

* * *

After the team had finally finished dinner, they dove back into the case. Soon thereafter, Sargent Cox knocked on the door where the team had set up shop. "I wanted to inform you that Deputy Lewis has been relieved of his duty for the next two days. When he comes back to work, he will be pulling desk duty on the graveyard shift." The no-nonsense official stated without preamble. "I want to apologize to you, Agent Reid, on his behalf, the incident should have never happened and I do hope that Deputy Lewis hasn't tarnished your team's opinion of this station."

The BAU family glanced at each other before Reid addressed the man, "Sir, Deputy Lewis isn't the first, nor will he be the last law enforcement officer to have a negative disposition towards the FBI. Likewise, he will undoubtedly be the last person who has misconceptions about me." Reid tried to shrug it off for the sake of the Sargent, but his profiler family was not fooled in the least. At least one, if not all, of them would be talking with their youngest before the night was through.

"Well, I thank you for your assurances, I have to go see about some paperwork, but I will be in my office if any of you need me." As quickly as the man had come, he exited.

In an attempt to get out of the limelight, Reid moved towards the geographical map he had made. Hopefully there would be clues. Aware that his team, though laden with their own case files was still keeping a careful eye on him, he did his best to ignore it.

"Guys, all of the victims were dumped within a two-mile radius. There are ten businesses, including shops, restaurants, the library, the post office and a family owned zip lining mini-school in that circle.

"Baby Girl, run a check for anyone with grievances, personal tragedies at the list I'm sending you." Morgan, correctly anticipating that Reid would be able to find some clue, had slid out his cell while the genius studied the map.

"Sure thing Hot stuff," the sound of furious fingering tapping away at the keys was heard through the speaker phone. "Okay, got the list, it'll take a few minutes, since there are several places to weed through, but I'll hit you back." The line disconnected as the tech went to work sleuthing.

* * *

Garcia had been good to her word. Within an hour, she had weeded out four possible suspects. "A Chad Jacob from the library was fired due to attendance issues. Marv Smith from the Quickie mart has recently been released from jail, he had a domestic disturbance charge. Corey Minor, from Ally's Zip Line Adventure, was fired and later sued after not ensuring that a client's harness was secure. Thankfully, it seems it was only on a practice height and the customer only fell ten feet-broke an arm, but otherwise was fine. Lastly, an Isaac Applegate from the quickly becoming extinct post office was charged with tampering with mail and was released ten months ago. All of this info is coming to your tablets. . .now!"

Reid quickly read over Morgan's shoulder.

"Garcia, one more thing-"

* * *

Reid's instinct was correct. He had asked the bubbly blonde to send over photos over of the people who had either done the firing of the three who had gotten fired as well as anyone else involved. To no one's real shock, the man who had had fallen while on the practice line, Trever Chase, was twenty-five and had sandy colored blonde hair.

From then it was only a matter of gathering more evidence, since each team member knew what they had was circumstantial at best. Pointed in the right direction, they were able to find the evidence needed and then apprehend the unsub, now known as Corey Minor. The man had used heavy-duty carbonator hooks to knock the victims out and then attack their necks. His torture hadn't stopped there as he had laid the bodies where bears had been spotted, let them attack them and finally, somehow (the team wasn't sure how he got the bodies back from the bears as no animals had been killed) took them to their dumping locations.

All in all, the case ended on a positive note. Corey had been aiming to get Trevor but they thwarted his plans before he could reach the man. Since it was already late into the night, they made plans to stay at the hotel and travel back home the next morning. It was very rare that cases were solved so quickly, but sometimes it just came together fast.

* * *

Spencer laid his go bag next to his bed at the Hampton Inn they were staying at. He grabbed what he would need for a shower and headed towards the small in-suite bathroom. Before he could get there, there was a knock on his door. He sighed, he really had hoped that they would forget, even as he knew that there wasn't any chance for that to happen. Changing course, he walked towards the door and peered out of the peek hole. Morgan stood at the other side.

"Hi, Kid." Morgan greeted after the younger agent had opened the door for him. He went to the window where there were a set of cushioned chairs. Spencer followed, knowing he wasn't likely to get out of this conversation.

"Hi, Morgan." Reid too sat down.

"So, first case back." Morgan stated, simply for something to say.

"Yes, that's correct. "Reid responded in kind.

Two minutes of silence occurred between the friends before Morgan leaned closer in his chair. "We both know why I'm here. How you doing after what that deputy accused you of?"

Reid looked away, his drug abusing days were long past but he still couldn't help the shame that washed over him each and every time he thought about those days when he was so lost. It was a battle he'd always be fighting but it was much easier to win now. He sat in silence for a moment before lowering his eyes to the floor.

"You know what's funny?" He questioned the older agent.

"No, what, Kid? Morgan did his best to make eye contact but it was for naught as Reid wouldn't look up.

"When I was. . . using, I never got accused of being a druggie-well, except for a friend in New Orleans but he'd battled alcoholism, so he was familiar with it-but now that I'm not using, I'm accused." He gave a dry humorless laugh. This is the second time in a month that I've been accused of abusing drugs." His voice trailed off.

Morgan flushed, embarrassed. After all, he knew exactly where he would find Reid's first accuser, and Morgan would be able to find him in a mirror.

"Reid, I am so sorry that I accused you of that- "Morgan apologized again for deed. Reid wasted no time in waving off his friend's apology.

"It's truly fine, Morgan. I just feel like I'll never be able to ditch my sordid past." Reid's voice was barely audible.

"Kid, you went through something that no one should ever have to endure and they were forced on you at the beginning. It's no wonder that you became addicted." Morgan had had this conversation with the genius before.

"I could have not taken them. I didn't have to continue it after I was rescued." Reid refuted.

"Reid, the important thing is that you did quit and have never stumbled from that." Ever the friend, Morgan retorted.

Reid didn't respond to that so Morgan continued, "and today, Deputy Lewis is a jerk. He was looking for something to complain about, we all could see that!" A small smirk graced the doctor's face for a brief second. "Any fool could tell that your insulin pen wasn't the normal hypodermic needle used for other drugs. How's your arm by the way?" Morgan gestured to the large bandage on Reid's right left arm.

"It's fine." Morgan nodded, he hadn't expected any other response. 'Fine,' was the genius's response always to that question. The Kid had answered that he was fine after being infected with anthrax, directly after being shot in the knee and a slew of other times.

The conversation wound down after a moment and Morgan touched his little brother's shoulder. "My room is two doors from yours if you need anything." Morgan excused himself. Reid followed the man to the doorway and made sure his door was locked.

Once again sighing, the genius headed for his much needed shower. If only he could wipe today off of him.

* * *

Morning arrived too early for the team as they straggled to the awaiting jet, each with coffee in hand. Reid forewent sipping his beverage and gulped it, causing his teammates to give him a long stare. "You okay, Spence?" JJ asked, wondering if he was drinking fast due to being overly thirsty or it was some other reason.

"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine." He assured them. He knew he wouldn't fool anyone though. Nightmares had kept the genius from having a restful sleep. He hadn't expected anything less. While he hadn't been threatened by Lewis, the man's accusation, as ludicrous as it was, had revisited him several times throughout the night.

"Right. . .keep telling yourself that." Prentiss retorted as she passed by him. She reached up and ruffled his hair. Reid rolled his eyes at the move and walked up the boarding steps to their jet. He settled his messenger bag onto the couch and remembered Hotch's stipulation about testing before flying. He quickly tested his blood sugar and seeing that it was perfect gave his boss a nod. Hotch's own nod served as a thank you for the genius heeding his wishes. Reid watched while Hotch sat by Rossi, he wasn't fooled, he knew that Hotch would be paying him a visit before the flight was over. It was his Unit Chief's typical reaction when one of his agents had had difficulties on a case.

In the meantime, Prentiss and Morgan sat near him and after takeoff, Morgan pulled out a game of cards that he had bought in the hotel gift shop. He knew Reid kept a pack with him but the older agent wanted to reach out to him. "Poker?" He asked at large. JJ, who was sitting a bit farther away, shook her head 'no,' as she chatted with Will on the phone.

"I'm in. Prentiss decided, having caught onto Morgan's plan. Reid, who obviously deduced it as well, smiled and accepted the branch Morgan was holding.

The trio of friends played five rounds. Reid won all of them before setting the cards aside and made idle talk for a few minutes. True to his prediction, Hotch joined them and after joining in a quick game of cards, Reid wining again, motioned his youngest agent to where Rossi and he had been sitting. The BAU godfather, to his credit, came and sat by Morgan and Prentiss, knowing the need for privacy.

* * *

Reid followed his boss down to the set of seats.

"Reid, I know that yesterday wasn't easy for you." Hotch wasted no time in getting to the point.

"Hotch, it's fine. Lewis was a jerk, but I've had much worse, we all have had much worse than Lewis could ever hope to be." Reid shrugged it off.

"Don't pretend that it is just Lewis that made the day hard. I'm sure his accusation brought up some unpleasant memories." Hotch chided softly.

"Not really. Those memories are always in the forefront of my mind even without the eidetic memory." Reid admitted, giving the unit chief a small smile. This conversation was getting too close to the Thing they didn't discuss. Couldn't discuss.

"I don't tell any of you enough, but you make me proud." Hotch confessed. He wasn't a very demonstrative boss but he still tried to make it clear that he valued each of the team members. Hotch watched his underling look at him confused. "You have grown up in the more than a decade that you've been on the team. When you joined the team I had heard from Gideon your intellectual skills but that first day when you came into my office, I had wondered why a teenager was visiting the BAU. You quickly proved your worth though. This team, this family wouldn't be the same without you. Sure, you have things you're not proud of, but every one of us does as well. When I look at the man you have become, I see an agent that has helped save countless victims and unsubs alike. I see the friend who refused to leave his partner's side when faced with a bomb. I see the agent who can calm a mentally unstable woman simply by returning what was hers and had been stolen from her." Hotch rarely voiced his praises but there were times it was needed and this was one of those times.

"Reid, whatever you do, please don't judge yourself by your shortcomings you had years ago but judge how the rest of us see you." Hotch ended his little speech and tapped Spencer on the shoulder as he rose.

Reid nodded as he sat staring out the window. He had a lot to think about.

* * *

A week passed by quickly with the routine of paperwork, and consults. The others groaned at paperwork but Reid often found it calming, soothing, even. The genius even had been able to put Deputy Lewis out of the forefront of his mind and had gone out with the team for dinner the night before. Figuring out his insulin units was easy for him but it was even becoming easier to tell by sight how many carbs something had if he had something similar before. Garcia's app had also helped on occasion. Reid loved the mom-and-pop restaurants that surrounded the area but found that the national chains were easier to find the nutritional information.

True to his word, Morgan had cornered him the day before last about exercising with him. Reid had really hoped he and Hotch would have forgotten about that promise. To no avail though and he was scheduled to go to a secluded gym with the muscular agent that afternoon.

All too soon, the day wound to a close and he reluctantly gathered up his messenger bag and go bag. He was keeping his gym bag in his car-less of a chance for anyone laugh at his expense. Before he could leave his desk, an aid caught his attention.

"Dr. Reid, this came for you." She gave him an official-looking envelope. He noted that it was from the Colorado PD. He slid a long finger through the envelope's seal.

_Dear Dr. Spencer Reid;_

_Thank you and your team for the swift solving of our case. Without the BAU, we would still have the perp at large. I wanted to write and formally apologize for the behavior of my subordinate, Lewis. He was given a two-day suspension and when it became apparent that he had learned nothing from it, was formally dismissed from the station. I thought that you should know. I do not tolerate the unprofessional attitude that Lewis displayed towards you and am deeply embarrassed you had to witness the infantile behavior of my former employee._

_I wish you well and thank you again. _

_Sincerely, _

_Sargent Thomas Cox_

Reid put down the letter slowly. While he had almost expecting that outcome, he couldn't help but feel bad for the disgraced deputy. He picked up the letter again and slid it into his messenger bag, noticing that Morgan was waiting for him.

"You ready, Kid?"

"If I said, 'no,' would you leave without me?" Reid gibed.

"Not on your life."

"Damn." He followed his friend out of the office, his mind still pondering the letter. Determined not to let it ruin the night (the exercise would be enough to do that for him!), he swallowed his unease.

**A/N Well, here we are at the end of another chapter. Once again, I apologize for the tardiness of this installment, I attempted to make it extra-long to atone for it. If anybody is wondering, I have no ill feelings for the police, I greatly respect them. Lewis truly wrote himself. Also, it wasn't until I had nearly finished the chapter that I realized that I had named the cop Lewis, forgetting the new agent's name. Sorry about that. They are not related. Also, I made a mention in the chapter that Reid can identify certain food's carb count by looking at it. I tried to make it clear that it was food that he's had similar to other dishes he had already found out the counts for. My sister and her husband and do this with certain food for my niece. We've been told that it gets easier. Anyways, I hope that you enjoyed the chapter and feel free to review, if you so wish. Autumn ****J**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey everyone, here is the next chapter for you all. Gothina234 here. Sorry for the delay in posting this but I've had a bad two weeks and just needed to work through that. Enjoy and we look forward to hearing from you all.**

Reid laughed as he twirled Garcia and continued to dance with her. He had resisted coming out with the team at first but was glad to have been convinced by them. As Garcia encouraged his awkward dancing, he enjoyed the feeling of being normal and being able to forget that he had diabetes. It was a constant worry in his mind even though he had now managed to have a routine that kept his diabetes in check. The song finished and Garcia grasped his hand and pulled him back to the table. "I love watching you dance," Garcia giggled as she pinched his cheek. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm feeling fine," he assured her. "I'll check my blood sugar soon though. I know how much you worry."

"I have every right to worry about you," Garcia said. "Morgan has emergency snacks in the car with your kit so tell me if you need one."

"Once Morgan is back from the restroom, I'll go and test my blood sugar and have a snack," Reid smiled before taking a sip of his sugar free soda. "I'm happy that you convinced me to come out tonight. Being out tonight is taking my mind off a lot of things."

"Talk to me, Reid," she sighed. "You don't need to keep it all cooped up inside."

Reid took one look at her eyes and immediately relented. "I guess I'm still adjusting to having diabetes. I feel guilty sometimes when I watch you all sacrifice your time to help me. It took a whole afternoon to install the system in my apartment and it was an afternoon you could have spent out with JJ and Henry."

"Hey," Garcia pointed her finger. "That system gives me peace of mind. I did not waste an afternoon. We spent that afternoon together and I wouldn't have wanted to spent it with anyone else. Don't feel guilty. You would help any of us out if we needed help. We're a big family, Reid, and we look out for each other. That should be burned into your mind after all these years."

Reid let out a small smile before it fell from his face. "The incident with Deputy Lewis has just shaken me."

"Don't think about that ass," she shook her head. "From what Morgan told me, you don't need to waste your time thinking about him and his dumb ass."

"Could you say ass anymore?" Spencer chuckled as he sipped his drink.

"Morgan has a nice ass," Garcia giggled playfully.

"Do I now," Morgan's voice came from behind her causing her let out infectious laugh that travelled to Reid, who also let out a strong laugh.

He looked down to his watch and decided it was time to check his blood sugar. "Guys, I'll be back in a few minutes. I'm just going to test myself and have a small snack from the car. Can I have the keys?"

Morgan rummaged through his pocket and handed over the keys. Reid gave him a nod of thanks before making his way through the crowd and trying not to bump into many of them. The night grew quieter as he got to the parking lot and he took a deep breath in to appreciate the night air.

"You son of a bitch," a voice growled behind him. He barely had a chance to turn before two hands grabbed the front of his shirt and threw him against a nearby car. Reid grunted in pain as his ribs and shoulder absorbed most of the impact before his body fell to the floor. Looking up, his eyes widenened as they fell upon Lewis, the deputy who had accused him of being a drug addict and who had also lost his job. Reid brought up his leg and kicked Lewis in the stomach as the man charged at him.

Lewis recovered quickly and stared at Reid with eyes overflowing with fury. "You got me fired! My girlfriend left me because of you and I am going to make you suffer."

"You got yourself fired," Reid snapped back.

Lewis thrust out his arm and Reid managed to dodge the punch only to have a foot connect with the back of his knee. He fell to the floor and let out a painful yelp as a fist smashed into nose. The back of Reid's head connected with the ground as the force of the punch sent him sprawling to the floor.

"Get away from him!" Morgan's voice ripped through the air. Reid looked up to see Lewis tackled to the floor by Morgan's warrior charge.

Garcia appeared a few seconds later and was by his side in an instant. "Oh, baby boy!"

A pink cotton hankerchief appeared under his nose and began to soak up the blood running from his broken nose. He couldn't help but lean against her as he began to feel dizzy. "Garcia, I don't feel too good."

"I'm calling an ambulance. We came out when some guys yelled that a fight was happening," she said him. "God damn that asshat who hurt you.

* * *

"Ow!" Reid moaned as the nurse pressed the tape holding the bandage over his nose.

"Sorry," the nurse apologised as she finished. "You're all set now. The doctor has already filled out your discharge papers so you are free to leave but please follow his orders. You'll heal up nice and quick if you do."

"Thank you," he smiled before watching her leave the room. He rose up from the bed and grimaced at the pain in his shoulder and ribs. Luckily, he had only bruised his ribs and his shoulder had escaped with only some deep bruising and swelling. His nose was another story. Lewis had broken it and it was going to take a few weeks to heal. He winced as the light caused his headache to spike but was also relieved to have escaped a concussion. The nurses had already checked his blood sugar and given him his insulin before he had eaten in the hospital.

Garcia walked into the room with Morgan and instantly wrapped her arms around him with great care. "Are you okay?"

"A little bruised and puffy but I'll be fine. I can go home now. I'm just looking forward to going home and sleeping in my own bed."

Morgan shook his head. "In your dreams, kid. You're staying with me tonight."

"I can take care of myself," Reid argued softly. "It's just some bruises and a broken nose. What happened to Lewis?"

"In custody for assualt on a federal agent," Morgan answered. "I called Hotch and he is going to deal with everything. Don't change the subject, pretty boy. I would feel more comfortable if you would stay with me tonight. I noticed you were a little shaky earlier and it wasn't from the attack."

"Morgan is right," Garcia chimed in. "For our peace of mind, stay with Morgan tonight and then you can go home tomorrow. Don't make me use my adorable pleading face. You'll do what I want for the rest of your life if I do it."

Reid couldn't help the small chuckle at Garcia's words. "I'll stay with Morgan."

* * *

**A month later**

"We've got a unsub operating nearby," Hotch informed the team as Garcia brought up a set of photos on the plasma. "We have six dead bodies but they weren't connected sooner due to the unsub dumping here and over the state line. The two departments only realised a connection a few days ago."

Hotch gave a small nod to Garcia to continue. "My doves, I will keep my eyes on you as I don't want to see the photos. All the victims were male and taken from their homes and the coroner and department put the time they were kept at about three days. Cause of death was trauma to the brain as in he shoved a spike into the back of their heads. Before death, they had been beaten and tortured. Full details are listed on your tablets and in Reid's file."

"They all look like typical alpha males," Emily observed as she swiped through the photos. "There is a lot of rage behind these wounds."

"There is definitely a signifigance to the way he kills them. He is careful not to kill them during the torture as the spike through the head is symbolic for him. All the victims have it in the exact same place," Morgan said.

"He may other victims," Reid spoke up. "He may have practiced to see the extent of the torture he could inflict."

"How often is he taking the victims?" Rossi asked Garcia.

"Every two weeks," she replied.

"He's taking his anger out on a male figure," JJ said before looking up at Hotch. "We should go to the last victim's house and take a look around."

* * *

Reid and JJ made their way to the last victim's house. JJ glanced to Reid and smiled at the way he was eating his sandwhich and snack. She had made sure that he had checked his blood sugar and taken his insulin before they had left the department. "Feeling better, Spence?"

"I always do after eating," he nodded before taking another bite and chewing. He swallowed and reached for his bottle. "Dammit."

JJ looked to her side quickly to see Reid searching for something before looking back at the road. "What's wrong?"

"I snagged my medical bracelet and the band snapped," he said before letting out a sound of relief. "I got it. I'll have to get it fixed later. You all stay near me most of the time when we're on a case and you all know my medical needs."

"We'll get it fixed later tonight," she agreed. "Put it in your bag though. Garcia had that custom made for you. I don't know anyone who has the Tardis font on their medical bracelet."

* * *

Reid watched JJ disappear up the stairs of the victim's house and made his way through the living room. The house seemed normal enough but he knew from years of experience that while everything might appear normal, something wrong and abnormal was lurking within the faux normality. He noticed a small room just past the living room and pushed the door open to find a study with books piled on shelf after shelf of bookcases. He shuffled through the papers on the desk, absorbing the words of them almost immediately. He stopped when he saw a small piece of paper tucked under the computer monitor.

He pulled out the piece of paper but didn't get a good look as he was yanked back and large cloth shoved over his mouth. A large arm kept him immobile as he tried to kick out.

"Ngh!" he struggled as the cloth was pressed harder over his nose and mouth. The energy and fight from his body drained away as the chloroform invaded his nostrils and senses. His eyes fluttered before closing.

"You just had to come and interfere," a voice whispered in his ear before darkness consumed him.

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	12. Chapter 12

**Hey everyone, here is the long awaited new chapter. Apologies for the delay but we have both been busy and dealing with things in our lives that have delayed us. I hope you can forgive us for the long wait and I assure you that such a delay won't occur again. Autumn will be back writing the next chapter but we both agreed that she does the medical scenes better and that kidnap scenes are my favourite to do. Enjoy and we look forward to hearing what you think.**

**Thank you for all the reviews and for your patience. We couldn't ask for better readers. Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

JJ sighed as she sifted through the latest victim's belongings. This was part of her job but she always felt that uneasy feeling that she was invading their privacy even though the idea of privacy had ended when he was murdered. She looked up as she heard a small bang from downstairs and frowned.

"Spence, are you okay?" she called as images of Reid having a dip in his sugar level and collapsing invaded her mind. She placed down the book she had looked through and rushed downstairs. "Spence!"

A small creak noise caught her attention as the front door moved slightly as the wind caught it. JJ marched to the door and opened it, her eyes immediately focused of the converse shoe laying on its side in the middle of the pavement. The shoe was one she recognised well. Rushing to the shoe, she picked it up and struggled to stop the overwhelming rush of panic. "Spence!"

* * *

Morgan held Reid's medical tag in his hand and knew that every second Reid was away from the team was another second that he could die. The team had found Reid's belongings dumped in the office of the house and they all detected the smell of chloroform in the room from a small spill in the corner. He closed his hand around the tag and made a silent prayer filled with hope that God would keep Reid alive and safe till they found him. Without the tag being on Reid's person, the unsub had no way of knowing that Reid was diabetic unless Reid was able to tell him. Morgan knew that Reid might not be in a position to speak if the unsub had gagged him. Hotch walked into the room and closed the door. "We'll get him back, Morgan."

"We have to get him back quickly, Hotch. You've seen how bad he can get if his sugar levels fall. He could fall into a coma and die if we don't find him soon."

Hotch nodded and brushed his hand through his hair as he tried to think clearly. "The unsub that kidnapped Reid has to be the same one that killed our victims."

"Why kidnap Reid though?" Morgan questioned. "The unsub now has a federal agent and more law enforcement hunting him down. We don't even know who this guy is, Hotch."

"Maybe he panicked," Hotch suggested. "He could have thought with our presence in the case, he might be caught and he decided to run."

"You're thinking that he took Reid as a bargaining chip," Morgan said as he connected to Hotch's train of thought.

* * *

Reid opened his eyes slowly as he began to regain conciousness. He tried to move his hands and legs but found he was unable to. As his vision cleared he realised he was no longer at the house and his hands and legs had been bound with tape with his hands trapped behind his back. He tried to speak but couldn't as the duct tape kept his lips sealed against each other. The only source of light in the room was a small barred window above him that looked like it was part of a hatch. His mind was fuzzy at first but it became clearer after a few seconds as he remembered the smell of chloroform invading his senses and the fear he had felt at being sent into the oblivion of darkness. He froze as a man appeared above him, outside of the hatch and staring down at him through the barred window. "It's about time you woke up."

The man smiled at Reid before wrapping his hand around one of the bars and jiggling the hatch door. "I built this place with a couple of friends when I was younger. We needed somewhere to have our fun and no-one ever came out here. They still don't. You and your friends should have stayed out of my business. I still have things to do and I won't have them stop me. You're going to stay here till I'm done and when I'm in a safe place, I'll send them to you. Well, I might. Depends on how I feel later about you interrupting my plans. No-one is going to come for you. You'll be fine for at least three days. The human body is an amazing thing when it comes to food and water."

Reid's mind flashed back to the moment his medical bracelet had snapped in the SUV at the mention of food and water. It wasn't around his wrist and the unsub had no idea about his diabetes. He began to pull at the duct tape and mumbled as he tried to get his condition across in anyway possible but he knew it wasn't working. Time had passed since his last meal and he didn't know how long had passed.

"Make all the noise you want," the unsub laughed before disappearing from above the hatch.

Reid let out one more muffled scream before collapsing back to the floor and trying to calm down his breathing. He didn't have three days and his time was already running out.

* * *

"We have to have something on this guy," Morgan vented as he slammed down a file. "It's been five hours since he took Reid. I don't know if he knows about Reid's condition but he might not even care if Reid was able to tell him. There has to be a connection between all the victims. The way he killed them seems personal."

The rest of the team looked at him and shared his panic and worry. Hotch looked at the photos of the victims. "They were all tortured but two of them seem to have been tortured less than the others. These two have all of their fingernails but the other four don't. The other four victims had their fingernails ripped out viciously."

"Personal connection," JJ spoke. "It explains why two may have been tortured to a lesser degree but it's clear he has some serious hate against these people."

"He would only take Reid if he had more victims to take care of," Morgan said as he let out a deep sigh. "This unsub isn't finished. He returned back to the crime scene for something that he either left when he took the victim or something that connected him to the victim. JJ and Reid being at the house caused him to panic. Reid is a bargaining chip. The unsub knows we're after him and he isn't going to give us back Reid until he's finished. He doesn't want us in his way."

"Reid's a bargaining to chip that he will never let live," Rossi shook his head. "He won't let Reid go after his face has been seen. Our only chance of getting Reid back is either to find the unsub or to see if the connection between the victims and the unsub gives us a location."

Hotch looked up at Reid's medical bracelet that they had pinned to the board and set his mind on solely finding their lost team member. "Rossi and JJ, I want to you to go back to house where Reid was taken. Try to find something that is out of place or that might connect the victim to the unsub. I will go to two of the victim's homes while Morgan and Emily will take the other three. The moment any of you find anything, you let everyone else know and I want everyone to be on their guard too. I'll call Garcia and get her to dig deeper into the victims lives. We need to work fast so I need you all to keep your head in the case."

* * *

Reid let out a muffled gasp as he finally felt the duct tape around his wrists snap. He had no idea how long it had taken but he had managed to find a nail during his shuffling along the floor and had attacked the tape one scratch at a time with the nail. He had caught himself a few times with it but felt relief at finally having his hands free. His hands found the edge of the tape that had been put over his mouth and wrapped around his head. He breathed in deeply as the last of the tape was gone. He gathered himself for a moment before prying the tape from around his ankles. He brought his knees up and put his head between them as he slowly brought his breathing to a more steady rhythm.

He looked up and realised that the light flooding the hole he was trapped in was no longer daylight but moonlight. In his focus to get the tape off, he had barely even realised the changing of the light and knew his time was growing even shorter. Rising to his feet, he climbed the few small steps up to the hatch door and tried with both hands and all his strength to push it. It rattled but stayed firmly shut. The breeze coming through the bars taunting him.

"Dammit!" he shouted as he let his arms fall to his sides.

Ignoring the unsub's words, Reid brought in a deep breath and proceeded to call out as loud as he could. "Help! Help!

Reid was about to call out a third time but lost his voice as he became dizzy. A groan filled the air as he landed on the floor with a thud as he lost his balance. He closed his eyes and tried to focus again but found it difficult. Part of him, a part that was afraid and feared never being found, kept trying to take control but he knew he had be stronger than that part. The team would come for him soon because they had never let him down before and he knew they wouldn't this time. His skin had started to grow clammy at least an hour before his escape from the duct tape and fatigue began taking hold of him now. He fumbled with the buttons of his jacket for a moment before finally getting it off and putting it on the floor, relishing the cold air that swept onto his skin as he pulled up his sleeves.

A small shine caught his attention as he rolled up his sleeve. Reid crawled over to the source of the gleam and reached out his hand. From the darkness, he brought out a skeletal arm with a half rusted bracelet hanging from the wrist and knew that if he searched the rest of the shadows, he would find more skeletons.

More victims.

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	13. Chapter 13

**Hello everyone, here is the brand new chapter from Autumnamberleaves. We hope you enjoy and thank you again for all being such great readers. **

**Enjoy and please review**

Drip . . .Drip . . .Drip. . .

Spencer Reid forced open a heavy eye as something wet pattered onto his face. Through blurry vision he was able to discern small drops of water falling from a rusty pipe above his head. Groaning, he forced his weary body up into a sitting position and squatted away from the offending pipe.

Dank walls and rotting skeletons proved to not be a product of an overactive imagination in his sleep but a hellish living nightmare. He squeezed his eyes shut in a futile attempt to ease a growing headache. He could feel his heart racing. Shaky beyond belief, the genius realized his blood sugar was rapidly plummeting.

Weaponless, without a partner and with no way to get either, the genius understood it was up to himself to survive until help arrived. Help WOULD arrive, his team wouldn't let him down. Words spoken long ago filled his head, breaking through the cotton wool slowly overtaking his brain.

_"You are stronger than he is."_

BANG!

Reid startled as the door slammed open. Hoping beyond hope that his friends somehow had figured out his location already, he turned his blurry eyes to the door.

"Miss me?" A muscular man with dark hair and darker eyes mocked the trapped agent. He walked closer to the genius.

"What are you doing here?" Reid breathed heavily as he felt his strength leaving him by the minute. "You told me that you were going to get as far away from here as possible."

"Plans change," the man smirked. "I was leaving but I just couldn't resist coming back. You look like you'll be fun to play with. I see you removed the duct tape. I'll have to fix that. First though, are you hungry?" He held out a sandwich to the ailing genius.

Despite his better judgement, Reid raised a trembling hand towards the turkey and cheddar concoction that may as well been manna from heaven.

The unsub barked a laugh and jerked the sandwich back. Grinning at his captive, he took a large bite and made a noise of enjoyment at his mouthful of food.

Reid's magnificent brain raised to complete a preliminary profile. The unsub was definitely a sadist, as evidenced by the torture and lack of remorse in the victims the team had already discovered. Perhaps he could make his condition work to his favor.

Daring to look the unsub in the eye as the man cruelly devoured his lunch, Reid summoned up his courage and began to speak.

"I find I do some of my best work under intense terror."

Reid had been in several life-threatening situations. He'd been kidnapped by Tobias Hankel, held hostage multiple times and infected with anthrax. He could survive and he would. Reid slowly spun his web to catch the unsub.

"I know all about you." the genius bluffed.

The unsub scoffed and bits of his chewed lunch sprayed the air.

"I know you get off on torture. I know that you keep your victims alive until such time you grow tired of them and kill them. Here's the thing, you won't be able to do that with me. I'm diabetic. I will die sooner than you are ready for me to die. I won't be fun for you to watch. I need to eat or I won't be any fun for you." Reid did not want to press his luck with taunting about actual diabetic supplies, but perhaps he could bargain for food and give himself a fighting chance to survive.

"Yeah, I don't care." The unsub rolled his eyes as he looked at his prisoner.

"See my clammy skin and notice how I've been shaking since you walked down here. I can't force you to believe me, but I will tell you that unless you decide to give me something to eat, anything you do to me, won't matter as I'll already be dead."

Reid prayed the unsub would listen. He was sick and would continue to worsen rapidly and his only hope would be to raise his blood sugar. Without a meter, he didn't know how low it had sunk but it felt lower than ever.

A noise captured his attention again as he realized that his captor had finished his sandwich and hefted his large body up the stairs.

* * *

The door rattled as the muscular man pounded his fist in it. Barely registering the pain such an action caused him, he reared back for another strike. A gentle pressure on his shoulder halted the action.

"Morgan."

The agitated agent looked to his side and noticed Prentiss was staring at him. Compartmentalized as ever, only a seasoned profiler would notice the raging storm barely hidden in her dark eyes. Morgan noticed it with ease. Still, she was calmer than most of the team, save Hotch.

"How do you do it? How do you block out your worry?" Morgan questioned the female agent. He knew Emily was damn good at hiding her true emotions but he also knew the raven-haired woman well enough to know she was as worried as the rest of the team.

"Morgan, I'm worried about him. You know I am. However, the best way to find him is to search for evidence, not assault doors. It's going to take all of us to find him."  
The pair of agents were investigating the second of the three victims' houses they had been assigned by Hotch. The first house hadn't turned up anything overtly useful. Despite the overt uselessness of the dwelling, Morgan and Prentiss had taken pictures, recorded anything that may prove to have some use for them. They were doing the same at the second victim's home, a home that had one belong to Tyler Poore.

Morgan remembered a profiling exercise he used to do with Gideon.

"Hey Prentiss, I'm the unsub, how'd I do it?" Derek took the position of the unsub.

Emily walked over to the family room sofa where blood droplets had been found near the coffee table. "There's not a lot of blood here and the techs said there was a lingering faint chloroform odor here."

Morgan followed his partner into the room and glanced around the room. His eyes rested on a small chipped flashlight. Continuing to play the role of the unsub, "I picked this flashlight up-maybe I even brought it with me-and wacked them on the head. Hard enough to sting and disable but light enough to cause minimal damage. Then I used chloroform to fully subdue my victim. I probably soaked a cloth with it and placed it over my victim."

Prentiss thought it over and nodded. "Ok, but how did the unsub get in and out of the house, especially lugging a victim with him, without being noticed?"

Morgan walked over to the window and drew up the blinds. "It's a pretty busy neighborhood," he watched as a set of running women pushed jogging strollers down the street. Nearby, a group of children played basketball in the cul-de-sac. There was even a couple of young girls selling lemonade to other children and caring adults.

"The unsub likely used a ruse to fool people. We should check to see if anybody recalls seeing an unfamiliar vehicle. I know we already did that once, but maybe someone remember something they didn't before. We should ask about work vehicles, cable, phone, any type of repair business," Morgan thought aloud.

Prentiss pulled out her phone and hit a few buttons.

"Garcia, I need you to cross-check the victims, I know you've done it once already, but cross-check them again, focus on services they may have each used."

"Will do," Garcia spoke in a small voice. She couldn't be her normal sparkly witty self with one of her babies in danger.

Back in Quantico, keys shook as the technical analyst slammed her fingers down and reran her search. "No shared cable services," she called out after a moment. "Let's check-"a second later, a disappointed sigh filled Prentiss and Morgan's ears. "No obvious repairs either."

Prentiss recalled that the file cases noted that while each victim was a pet owner, they varied on the type of animal. Two were dog owners (both were small animals insufficient as guard dogs), one, a cat owner, another a ferret, one a snake and the last was the owner of a parrot. Tyler Poore had been the cat owner. The tabby had been claimed by his distraught family shortly after the young man's disappearance and death.

"How about vets or pet sitting services?"

Garcia sped away with the suggestions as she rapidly typed in the perimeters.

"No, my doves," came the expected answer. Her voice hardened. "When I find that Son of a bitch who killed these victims and kidnapped our genius, he'll rue the day he ever thought up his evil plan. It's not enough to kidnap healthy people, but to kidnap someone who has a serious medical disease? Someone who has to have SHOTS to survive? That bastard won't know what happened when I get to him."

Derek allowed a small smirk to grace his features. This was the Baby Girl he most admired-and feared. Penelope Garcia could be dangerous when she wanted to be. Something his friend said clicked in his mind. He stood from his crouched position and wandered into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. A moment later, his gloved hand pulled out a small flimsy box. He opened it and pulled out a cylindrical tubed auto-injection. Prentiss, who had followed Morgan, picked up the discarded box.

"Garcia, Tyler Poore was prescribed Simponi by a Dr. James Mortison. I know hacking medical records is illegal, but check to see if the victims used any home delivery medical services."

"There's a note on his Simponi that it was a home delivery. It says to keep it cool and if it's anything like Pretty Boy's Insulin, it likely came in a cooler and was shipped directly to the house." Morgan broke in. "There's a small label on this shot saying it was packed and delivered by "Wellness Medical."

"I'll have to cut through a lot of red tape. Good thing I brought my handy dandy axe," Garcia joked, not nearly as jovial as usual, but a ghost of herself.

"We took pictures of the first victim's house we went to-a Ron Winters. I'm checking my phone for the pics of the refrigerator." Prentiss recalled. She flipped through her picture gallery until she came across the picture she needed. "I see some sort of small box in there, but even when I enlarge it, I can't make out what it says. I'll send it your way, Garcia."

* * *

Hotch walked around victim number three, Jesse McGuire's home. Surveying the normalcy of the house, other than the obvious attack site in the bedroom, there was little to suggest a motive to the crimes. Just as he was walking out of the bedroom, his phone rang.

"Hotchner."

"Hotch, Prentiss and I have Garcia looking into a possible lead, Tyler Poore used a medical home delivery service, Wellness Medical. We think that Ron Winters may have been prescribed a mail-order medicine too. Garcia's looking into it," Morgan bit out.

"Medical home deliveries are sometimes usually by the major postal services or sometimes by the companies themselves. I'll have Garcia look into that." Hotch walked to the small kitchen off to the left of the house. He glanced around the room and noticed a medium-sized Styrofoam cooler sitting on the breakfast nook.

"Jesse McGuire has a cooler similar to the type that pharmacies ship their medicines in. The box it came in is missing but-" the unit chief paused as he examined the cooler. It was room temperature to the touch, and upon lifting the lid discovered that the gel ice packs that the pharmacy used to keep the medicine chilled, were melted. The medicine itself sat nestled in the cooler-completely warm.

"Jesse did use a mail-order pharmacy. The medicine, Humira, is still in the cooler, completely warm. He must have been putting it away and had to go to his bedroom. Once there, the unsub attacked him."

"He may have been lured to his bedroom. Perhaps the unsub knew he'd be able to overtake him better in there? The unsub used a flashlight to incapacitate Tyler Poore. The unsub is likely using weapons of opportunity, probably the victim's own belongings." The muscular agent pondered while staring at the crime scene he himself was at.

"There's an overturned lamp stand that's both dented and bloodied. Obviously this was the unsub's weapon." Hotch reported his findings.

* * *

The team, minus their beloved genius, sat around their conference room table. Despite the medical home deliveries lead, they were still very much in the dark regarding their elusive unsub. Each agent was flipping through the files on the various victims. One file sat untouched though not unnoticed. Nobody wanted to open that particular file.

"It feels so wrong," JJ said as she moved to take the file, only to retreat with her hand merely an inch from it.

No one had to ask what she meant by her comment. Each agent felt the same exact name on the file, the picture of the victim paper clipped to it was none other than their coworker and friend, Dr. Spencer Walter Reid.

There was something so inherently wrong with looking at a loved one's file. Their secrets laid bare for the entire team to see. Except maybe the whole BAU didn't need to read the whole of it, just the relevant facts. Rossi reasoned that all facts were need to know. His conscience could take a hike. With a deep breath, the godfather of the BAU reached out and slid the case file towards himself. He would do this for his young friend.

With that obstacle out of the way, the BAU settled down for a hurried but for the most part, silent, information search.

Silent, that is, until hurried high heeled steps were just outside the door. The door flung open to reveal the usually bubbly tech goddess. Out of breath from the rush out of her lair to the conference room, she held out pictures she'd printed. A moment later, she fired out information.

"So I ran the picture you gave me through my babies. They were able to clear up the photo. The first victim, Mackenzie West, was prescribed Enbrel. Of course, the reason for the medication, as with all of the victims, is locked up tighter than Fort Knox, but so far all of the victims have another thing in common. Even our lovable genius."

"Which is?" Hotch urged.

"Enbrel, Humira, Simponi and Humalog and Lantus all are used for autoimmune disorders." Garcia listed the three medications their victims had been in the midst of receiving as well as the two medications Reid used.

"Enbrel, Humira and Simponi are used to treat multiple diseases but Humalog and Lantus are insulins so obviously used for diabetes," Garcia said as announced her find. "I'm not sure if that helps you guys out in any way, but if there is something to be found, my crime fighters will unearth it."

"Guys, there's something bugging me. The victims were all attacked in their homes. Reid fits the victimology, but wasn't attacked at his apartment. Was he simply a victim of opportunity? Did the unsub return to the previous victim's home and panic and Reid just happens to fit the victim pool? Or did the unsub know about him and somehow learn where he was going to be and lie in wait?" Prentiss ground out what had been puzzling her the whole time.

Rossi, who had been reading the genius's file looked up and gave a deep sigh. "I'm hoping to have an answer for you shortly but right now, there's not much of anything of use in this." He gestured to the file jacket.

"You have to find him. Bring him back home, please," Garcia pleaded as her mascara ran with the tears now dripping down her face.

Ever her comforter, Morgan pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "We will Baby Girl, we will."

* * *

Some ways away, the young genius shivered in the rapidly cooling basement. His plea for food had thus been ignored. He was lying on the harsh cement and was now too weak to sit up. Reid was certain that was what the unsub had been aiming for. After all, if he was too weak to sit up, he would be too weak to fight back, though he would try. He would try for his mother. He would try for his team and most of all, he would try for himself.

He would have to work harder than ever before. His entire body was weak and his mind felt fuzzy. Clearly, his low blood sugar was continuing its nose dive.

He barely startled when the door crashed open and his captor stepped inside.

"Miss me!" the unsub mocked. He had half a slice of bread in his hand. His other hand was concealed. "You don't deserve this food. You'll have to earn it." He stepped closer into the light and Reid realized what had been hidden by the shadows.

The horrible man held a stained belt which boasted a large buckle.

"I would tell you to lie down but you're already in position!" He cheerfully announced before kicking Reid onto his stomach and putting his boot on Reid's neck to keep him in position.

"To get this half slice of bread, you will receive 20 lickings. "

ONE . . .pain sparked as his skin was ripped causing him to let out a yelp.

Two . . .

Three . . .

Gideon's voice echoed in his mind again. The same words that he had sought comfort from earlier gave him comfort again.

_"You are stronger than he is. You will not break."_

Four . . .

**A/N from autumn - Thank you for reading. I apologize for the long wait. Between my own health issues, beginning online graduate school and the like, I had a hard time juggling my free time. Also, while I am trying to be as accurate as possible in regards to both profiling and the medical aspects of this story, I am not a profiler nor a doctor so please excuse mistakes. The medicines mentioned in this chapter are indeed real (I have been prescribed Enbrel and later Humira and now am on Simponi and my niece uses Humalog and Lantus).**


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